


The Siege of Ascension Peak

by Eitra (MusicKitty), MusicKitty



Category: Paladins: Champions Of The Realm (Video Game)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-12
Updated: 2019-11-22
Packaged: 2020-08-20 00:26:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 11
Words: 25,858
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20218762
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MusicKitty/pseuds/Eitra, https://archiveofourown.org/users/MusicKitty/pseuds/MusicKitty





	1. Chapter 1

  
  


_ The stones underfoot flew around his as the girl kicked and screamed, struggling in his grasp. There were massive armoured men surrounding him, their plating scarlet and gold, their eyes dark, and under their dirty golden helmets shone the red faces of monsters. _

_ He was used to it. _

_ The girl was sobbing, begging, in a language that he understood, yet meant nothing to him, as if her pleading wails were nothing more than the guttural noises let out by the dying deer in a hunt. At least the deer would have some sort of mercy. _

_ This girl had committed the ultimate crime in The Thousand Hands Guild: She had stolen from Lord Zhin himself. That evening, three guards had been found drugged by the servants, and the women they had been guarding had run. The girls belonged to Lord Zhin, when they had run, they had robbed him of his property. The other girls had lost their lives on the run, but this one? _

_ This one will wish she had. _

_ He approached the massive wooden doors to the Throne Room. The guards before the doors looked him up and down, before one approached him. The guard’s out-of-uniform red scarf accentuated his green eyes as he watched the massive man and screaming woman before him. The guard turned and pushed the door open, and the man moved forward, into the darkness.  _

  
  


Buck awoke in a cold sweat. The room was dark, the only light shone in the corner: a small candle on someone’s bedside desk, illuminating a monk and his reading. The monk met eyes with Buck, before returning to his reading.

Buck threw on a simple robe and left the sleeping quarters. The sun would be rising soon, and already some monks were out tending to the gardens and preparing for the day ahead of them. Buck moved down the stone steps of his sleeping quarters and down the cobbled pathway through the temple of Tau-Kor. He kept his eyes to the ground as he tried to clear his mind, replacing his thoughts with his destination.

The trickling streams and cries of the early birds were hardly enough to wake him from his trance. He would speak to his mentors later today, but for the time being, he thought back upon their previous lessons, in an attempt to find some solidarity with his pressing memories.

Finally, the wide-chested man arrived at a cliff on the side of the mountain, a bit off the main trail. This was his spot of meditation, his chosen place to sit and think. He rested in the worn spot and gazed up at the stars overhead, at the whales floating on the breezes, at the blue shattered moon high in the sky. He thought back on his memories from so long ago. The faces- he could never remember the girls’ faces. Perhaps that was the consequence of treating humans, elves, and other sapient beings as nothing but mere objects for so many years, simply because that man… that horrid man… had decreed such. 

Buck closed his eyes and focused on his breathing, a slow inhale, a slow exhale. He focused on the footsteps of monks and livestock moving back and forth on the main path behind him, one of the main reasons he had found such comfort in this little spot. After a few minutes, the travelling monks moved on, leaving Buck in silence. The wind rushed softly before him, rustling the leaves of the hanging trees. The night felt soft and gentle and quiet, the cold winds caressing his skin.

He could smell the fish in the nearby streams, the fur of the livestock and… honey, the final scent filling his nostrils as the breeze over his face suddenly turned warm. It took him a moment to realise that the scent was carried not on warm winds, but on breath. There was someone in his face.

Buck opened his eyes and stared into the masked face of a man levitating off the edge of the cliff. The man’s silver-blue hair flicked and fluttered in the wind as he watched the monk. The man neared Buck, before words, thoughts, visions, melodies, began to flood the broken soldier’s mind. Buck felt the cliff vanish from beneath him and the stars reach out to him, holding his fingertips, taking him into the cosmos.

  
  


\------------------------------

  
  


Lian touched the parchment gently, her soft fingers tracing the printed words, stroking the teardrop away from the header letter. She lifted a hand to her face as her eyes scanned the horrible words on the paper in her hands: Princess Ling Melan of House Aico was dead.

A few mornings ago, the Aico princess had been absent from her breakfast, and her maidservants had gone to check on her. They had found her lying on the ground beside her bed, her face pale, her eyes gently closed, a smile on her lips, and no breath on her tongue. As far as the supports could tell, Lian’s mother had simply stopped breathing in her sleep, with no other evidence of her cause of demise.

Encased in the package beside the letter was a wrapped cylinder. Lian took the thin cylinder and began to unwrap it slowly, her eyesight fogging as her stifled sobs became strained exhales. 

She deposited the wrapping paper at her side and held its contents between two fingers: a long, golden hairpin, encrusted with spherical sapphires on either end.

Lian sniffled softly, moving the pin between her fingertips. She hardly noticed Khan’s powerful, yet gentle grip on her shoulder as he offered her silent comfort. He dropped to one knee gently to give himself a better angle. 

Lian glanced into his glowing eyes, the soft silver gaze relaxing her slightly. She placed the letter and hairpin neatly on the armrest, stood up, straightened her dress, and suddenly burst into tears, collapsing on to Khan’s shoulder. The broad-chested giant held her for a long time, his hand gently resting on her back as his fingers drummed along her spine rhythmically.

  
  


\-----------------------------------------

  
  


Not a sound but soft whimpers filled the hot, dry sky, broken only by the step of heeled boots on the sharp rocks. The powerful and wise woman was crouched on the ground in what could have been meditation, had not its silence been broken by the gentle weeping. The sun shone on her pale grey skin and her hands traced the symbol on the rock, a Stagalla symbol meaning “warrior”, a symbol only marked on the graves of the Stagalla who had fallen in the glory of battle. The stone woman’s face was hidden from view by her hair and the angle of her position.

Valera had loved and lost, but she had never lost a spouse, and even though Terminus’ shattering had happened months prior in the first skirmish against the Magistrate, his widow was no less heartbroken. Who wouldn’t be, after the most recent battle against the Magistrate’s forces? Valera could not believe her eyes when the undead monstrosity had lumbered onto the battlefield, and she could not imagine how the view must have hit Inara, the realization that Inara’s beloved was now a mindless zombie of the Magistrate.

Valera watched over the Stone Warden, unwilling to speak and disturb the solemn woman’s sorrow.

“News of the south?” Inara spoke for her.

Valera shook her head, “No, news from the far northeast, actually.”

Inara looked up at the elven warrior in shock, “The northeast? What, has the Ruby Kingdom sent us a letter?”

Valera chuckled, “Of course not, nor the Thousand Hands. The letter comes from the Tau Kor Monastery of Ascension Peak.”

Inara eyed her warily, before rising to her feet and looking down at the golden-haired elven warrior, the leader or the Paladins resistance.

“Why would a little monastery in the northeast have any reason to contact us?” The Stone Warden questioned.

Valera traced the letter in one hand with the index finger of another before responding, “Jenos, The Ascended, the monk of the legends, he has returned! He has descended from the Cosmos! And Tau Kor has asked us if we would like to meet him, perhaps he would support our cause!”

Inara smiled, before her lip quivered and she glanced back at the marked totem beside her.

Valera watched the Stone Warden, realising that the idea of such a journey might be hard on the mourning woman. Softly, she asked, “I am preparing the patrol that will travel to the monastery, we’ve even planned to hire from the Twilight Cutthroats for a bit of extra support. I would never make such a final decision without the word of my Second. What say you, Inara? I trust your judgement.”

Inara glanced back to Valera and responded with a smile, “It is in the best interest of the Paladins, is it not? I think it would be wonderful to see if The Ascended would support our cause.”

Valera placed a hand on Inara’s shoulder (an action that required a bit of straining of the elf), and gently asked, “Are you up for the journey?”

Inara touched Valera’s hand with her own and replied, “I would like to be as far away from the Magistrate as I can be right now.”


	2. A Friend's Welcome

The surprised gasps and murmurs of the crowd filled what would have been a quiet and peaceful morning. The monks of Tau Kor had gathered around the small temple that had been built hundreds of years prior, dedicated to the two monks who had changed this monastery and brought a new light to its door. Men, women, and children filled the doors, lined the streets outside, but none dared to enter in fear of interrupting The Ascended.

Two statues stood in the temple, the shorter one a statue of Jenos himself in his mortal form. In the time before his Ascension, Tau Kor was a place of distress. The monks had split themselves into Greater and Lesser Monks, and the Greater Monks had ruled, decreeing vows as punishments. Tau Kor was a monastery about mortals’ journeys, and the Greater Monks decreed that only they could direct mortals on their journeys… that is until one day, a disrespecting Lesser Monk who couldn’t even keep his vows stepped into the sky and became one with the Cosmos, a journey more physical than had ever been seen before. Jenos left behind his dear friend, a man who had read the forbidden texts of the Pyre and gained the powers of the Heavens, a man who loved Jenos as a brother and listened to every secret midnight lesson Jenos had taught to those who would attend, a man who had preached in Jenos’ absence of the Ascended’s teachings. This man had stood as a peaceful Furia, an Angel of Vengeance who avenged not those hurt by sin, but those blinded by the wrongful rule of those Greater Monks. His sword had never been lifted, and nothing but the teachings of his dear friend Jenos left his lips. The Greater Monks had taught that only they knew how others should traverse their journeys, and Jenos and his dear friend taught that all entities, mortal and immortal, had their own journey on which to go. Others could help one traverse his journey, but no one could tell him where to go with certainty. When Jenos had ascended, his friend had remained to teach those words until his own quiet passing into the Realms beyond.

The statue of this man stood straight, wings outstretched gently, face smooth and calm.

At the statue’s feet, knelt Jenos, his hand rested on the statue’s sandaled foot, as he silently mourned his friend’s passing.

“How long have I been gone?” The god asked, but no one dared to respond. He lifted his hand to his face and removed his mask. His sapphire eyes shone gentle and sad as he turned back to the statue, “I had known… I had known of his passing. I have watched over the monastery all this time, but… it pains me nonetheless to know I will be carrying out my duty alone.”

One monk entered the monastery, a broad-shouldered man with bright green eyes: the retired warrior who the Ascended had approached upon his descension. 

“What is your name?” Jenos spoke, replacing his mask. Of course, he knew the answer already: he knew every part of this man’s dark past and broken present, but he chose to allow the courtesy.

“Buck.” The man spoke simply, his hand to his chest and his eyes to the floor, “What- uh… how… how may I-” Jenos raised a hand sharply, and Buck silenced immediately. 

“Buck, my friend, do you know why it is you who I have approached?” Jenos spoke with a gentle smile.

Buck slowly shook his head, still too fearful to make eye contact.

“The Darkness on the horizon, the hate in the Realm… I have a duty to my monastery, to my people, and I require your aid. Tell me, Buck, have you any abilities? Are you a Champion… or is it simply ‘Buck’?”

“I- no, I’m not anything.” Buck replied, dropping to his knees, his eyes still locked to Jenos’ feet.

“Nothing?” The Ascended chuckled, “I think not… you’ve been many things in the past, haven’t you? What have you been?”

A heavy knot rested in Buck’s stomach, floating up to his throat as his thoughts raced through his mind, every memory that he had tried to settle away. His work on Tau Kor of accepting who he had been and creating who he had become cracked as he tried to figure out what to say to The Ascended himself.

“Who were you, Buck?” The Ascended spoke after the moments of silence. Buck closed his eyes and spoke in a tone hardly audible, “A monster.”

“A monster?” Jenos responded. He placed a hand on Buck’s shoulder.

Buck breathed, before continuing, “In all the stories, the bad guy summons his crazy, stupid minion, his pet monster. Th-that was me, that’s what I did. And then- and then the Magistrate bought me from him to grant me my freedom, they wanted to give me a chance at a better life. But the war began and- and I guess I ended up right back where I started, even if the Magistrate is a bit more moral… the fight was the same, it was all about following orders, other people making their way…” no more words would come to Buck as his eyes opened and he stared intently at the slippered feet levitating a foot off of the ground.

“You… you are bowing.” Jenos sounded slightly annoyed, “There are no ranks among the monks of Tau Kor. Do not bow to me, please.”

Buck rose to his feet, his eyes and head still lowered. Jenos sighed, “Buck… we are equals in this monastery, and you are my friend, I request your aid. I have chosen you because you are a man who has learned kindness, humility, strength-”

Buck shook his head, “I’m still in training, sir-er-Jenos… I-I’m not like-”

“Silence.” Jenos snapped, “Buck, I trust you, and so I have entrusted you with the knowledge I have gained from my time in the Cosmos. I had friends, friends of the Cosmos, friends of the Abyss, and the friend of the Heavens represented by this here statue. Buck, I require mortal friends as well, will you aid me?”

Buck looked up, staring into the lenses of the mask of the Cosmosian man. The great warrior nodded slowly.

“Radiant! Truly!” Jenos smiled. He reached to Buck and placed his hand on the warrior’s forehead. A surge of power burst from the Ascended’s palm, forcing Buck back in shock.

Energy surged through Buck’s face, through his abdomen and in his limbs. Buck breathed heavily as the Cosmosian power filled him.

“Pardon the intrusion-” Jenos chuckled, “but I find that friends who wield no ability tend to have trouble keeping up.” he glanced at the statue of the angel, before meeting eyes again with Buck, “A Champion, now, aren’t you? Yes, yes, that is much more fitting. Tell me, he who was once a monster, once a soldier, once a monk, what are you now?”

Buck rose back to his feet. He straightened his back and looked his friend in the eye as he responded, “I am Buck, ‘The Unyielding’.”

\---------------------

Despite the mass of the Giant’s hand, Khan attempted to knock on the great wooden door as absolutely softly as he could muster. Even at his softest, he cringed as the noise bellowed through the halls.

“Your majesty?” he called. He was growing worried for the princess: she had spent the last few days since the news of her mother’s death hiding away in her quarters, banning even Khan from entry.

“Your majesty?” he called again. He heard a small shuffle from the room, followed by her weakened voice, “Go away, Khan.”

“Princess, I beg your forgiveness, but I must protest. We have obtained-” He was interrupted by the click of the door lock. The door opened slightly.

Khan pushed the door open and looked through the room. A shivering bundle of blankets lay beside the bed, with nothing but an arm emerged and touching the top of the comforter.

He entered the room and approached the bundle, before crouching beside the mass of blankets.

“Princess, the floor is not a clean place for you to sit.” He spoke softly as he scooped up the mass. He lifted her to the bed and gently placed her and her blankets on top of the comforter. Lian slightly rolled out from under the bundle, covered in nothing but a nightgown. Her hair was frizzy and unkempt and dark circles stained her sleep-deprived eyes.

Khan sat on the bed and lifted the bundle of princess on to his lap. He rocked her gently back and forth, watching her sway and her eyes close. 

It was a long moment the two sat in peaceful silence, before Lian wriggled from Khan’s grasp and moved to the closet to dress.

“Shall I call your maids?” Khan asked, looking away to offer her some privacy.

“No, no, I have it.” The Princess’ voice sounded hollow.

She moved to stand before him, now dressed in a silver overdress, “What was it you wished to say, Khan?”

Khan watched her for a few seconds as she stood before him in her silver dress and its white trim that accentuated her thin frame and wide hips. He slowly glanced away at the great window. He rose to his feet and approached the window, looking out over the sun-streamed Ruby gardens.

“We have intercepted a messenger hawk from the South carrying a message to the Tau Kor monastery.” Khan replied. He could hear a shuffling behind him as Lian approached him. She wrapped her arms around his wrist and leaned her head against his forearm as she replied, “And what use to us is a monastery’s mail?”

“The Tau Kor monastery honours a monk who, centuries ago, floated away into the sky and became one with the Cosmos.” Khan replied, “ Apparently that monk has returned a god, and Tau Kor is not keen on sharing this information with just anyone. The letter from the South is from the Resistance, informing Tau Kor that they ‘would be delighted to come to see the monk and welcome him back to the Realm’.”

Lian rose from Khan’s arm and stepped in front of him to the great window, “It seems the Magistrate wasn’t invited to the ‘Meet and Greet’, hmm? If we could persuade the monk to join us, it would impress Grand Magistrate Karne and turn the tides in his favour. Then, when this trivial war is over, he’ll remember which house granted his victory.”

Lian placed a hand on the glass and glanced up at Khan, “The Magistrate would owe a great favour to the Ruby Kingdom for that, wouldn’t they?”

“And if they don’t believe you?” Khan asked, raising a brow.

“Well, I’m sure Karne is as disappointed as I am not to receive an invitation to the Meet and Greet.” Lian replied, walking away from the window, “I should pen him up one right away.”


	3. An Ally, a Future, and a Proposition

Buck paused in his step, noticing an elven woman nearby struggling with her load of fruit from the vineyard. He rushed from his path to her and moved to ease her burden and take the basket in his hands. As he lifted the basket, the woman bowed in gratitude.

Buck smiled and lifted the basket on his shoulder as she walked off with her shoulder basket underarm, guiding him to the baskets’ destination.

“Do you usually do this by yourself? This is a lot to carry.” Buck noted. The woman shook her head, “Usually my son helps me, but he’s run off somewhere and I haven’t an idea where.”

The two came to the storeroom and began to pack the fruit away into the designated barrels.

“Oh, I can look for him if you’d like.” Buck offered, “What does he look like?”

The woman smiled and replied, “Oh, that would be ever so helpful. His name is Ken, he has ginger hair and his face is all freckles. Oh, and he’s human, like his father. I don’t know why he’s run, he usually loves helping me with the chores and he’s getting a stern lecture when he gets back!”

Buck chuckled, “I’ll give Ken the head’s up.” With this, the massive man moved away, his eyes keen for the boy in question.

He traced the woman’s path from the storeroom to the place he had met her. There was no sign of the child near here. Next, he walked down the stone path to the vineyard, assuming the boy had lost interest in his chores somewhere around here. He walked into the vineyard, which was currently empty of monks.

He moved down the pathways between the vines until curly ginger hair met his view. The boy was turned away from him. Before Buck could call out to the boy, he took a look at what had sparked Ken’s interest: a violet crystal implanted in the ground by the vines, it’s surface flicking between its own shining colour and a deep black. Buck moved forward quickly and scooped up the child, putting himself between Ken and the crystal.

Buck then noticed a trail of minuscule versions of these crystals lining the grass off in a direction.

Buck placed the child back on the ground and spoke quickly and quietly, “Your mother is in the storeroom, go back there right now.” 

Ken nodded and sped off the direction Buck had come. Buck turned and followed the trail of crystals through the vineyard until he noticed a sound of hushed whispers.

He rounded the corner of vines to find two people speaking quietly to one another. One was The Ascended, Jenos, but the other Buck had never seen before: a pale-skinned woman in a simple hooded cloak with the hood lowered to her shoulders revealing a bare and hairless head. Her irises were a gentle mauve and her pupils were pale and sightless, showing an expression of upset and alarm. She stood with her legs crooked gently as if she wasn’t used to the gravity, and she kept her hands raised and close to her chest. In one fist she held a balled-up blindfold. 

Jenos turned to Buck and raised a hand in greeting, “Buck, there you are. Come, aid me in welcoming my dear friend Seris here to the monastery.”

Seris’ face turned to Buck, her but unseeing eyes did not focus. She quickly lifted her hood over her head and moved to cover her eyes with the blindfold. Jenos murmured a quick protest to her that Buck could not hear well, but Seris turned away from both men to complete the process.

Jenos turned back to Buck and spoke quietly, “Do be mindful, she is a bit shy.”

Buck approached the two and held a hand out to Seris as he happily chirped, “Hey, welcome to Tau Kor!”

Seris kept her hands close to her chest as her face turned to Buck. Her chin moved up and down slowly as she seemed to be scanning him, before she turned away from him and back to Jenos.

Jenos whispered something to her and she frowned and moved away, her feet lifting from the ground as she floated away into the vineyard.

Jenos turned back to Buck, shaking his head slowly, “Seris is a very dear friend of mine, an Abyss Walker of the immortal realm. She is sensitive and you’ll have to be careful with her.”

“Why is she here?” Buck asked, before stuttering and quickly adding, “Not that your friends aren’t welcome, but… you know… Abyss?”

“She is no threat, I can assure you.” Jenos replied, “But she warns of a future that may unfold, the Siege of Ascension Peak. Of this I know not, nor is this future defined. But the decisions that could lead to it are being written as we speak.”

“A siege? Who would siege a monastery?” Buck asked in incredulity.

“Worry yourself not with it at this time.” Jenos replied, “Perhaps it is true, perhaps it is the inane ramblings of the endless mind. Regardless, I want Seris to feel as welcome as the monks have led me to feel. Seris has been my closest friend in the realm beyond this one, I would like the monks here to love her as I do.”

Buck swallowed, looking into the vineyard in which the pale entity had disappeared. Jenos desired for him to befriend something of the Abyss?

  
  


\----------------------------------------

  
  


A red hawk soared back and forth through the clouds overhead, guiding the small troupe of Paladins on their mission. Valera held the leather reins loosely in her hand as her mind raced on the plans ahead: they were making great time and would be at the monastery in a matter of weeks. Valera wondered what the Ascended would look like and sound like, on what he enjoyed speaking, how his time in the Cosmos had been. It was an exciting time for the Paladins, and the more surprising note was how they had been invited at all. Had the monastery of Tau Kor been so impressed by the Paladins rebellion that they had been so delighted to welcome those Paladins to their monastery?

Valera exhaled a deep breath and watched the skies. The sun would be dipping below the horizon soon, it would be important to stop and set up a camp around here. 

The Paladins began to slow their entourage and dismount the tenting materials from their horses. Valera lifted her own sleeping materials from her stallion’s pack. She was interrupted from her thoughts by a nearby shrieking, and by instinct, the elven warrior put a hand on her sword’s handle and rushed toward the noise.

An argument had erupted between a member of the Paladins and a member of the Twilight Cutthroats, a crew that had been hired as extra arms. The pink-haired half-Tigron Cutthroat had been blamed for the Paladin’s missing foodstuffs. Before Valera could approach and intervene, Inara moved between the two and dismissed the issue, insisting that the foodstuffs had simply been misplaced. As the Cutthroat wandered away, eyes lowered, Valera couldn’t help but wonder why the girl’s hand had been hidden in her coat.

Valera returned to setting up her own tent. Nearby, she watched as a Badlands Paladins in a bright red bandana aided a tiny elven woman in setting up her own tent.

“I haven’t an idea why you’ve brought the thieves along.” came a voice from behind her. Valera turned to see the tall Stagalla woman Inara, her second in command.

“The Paladins are small yet, and so many of our numbers are women and children hiding from the Magistrate, I thought hiring some Citadel crews might help our small number remain strong while we continue to grow.” Valera replied casually as she eyed a tent peg, wondering if the soft, muddy ground would be sturdy enough to hold it.

Inara crossed her arms, “I know you, Valera, you are above such foolishness.”

“Foolishness?” Valera gasped, “I know you, Inara, and you are above such… impoliteness.”

Inara looked away in an attempt to hide her humoured smile, “Valera, now, now. You know what I mean… how are we to trust these people?”

Valera moved past the Stagalla, motioning with her hand for Inara to follow. The two walked through the small camp as Valera began to point out people around them, “Do you see that man there? His name is Sha Lin, he was in the Thousand Hands, you know. A guard on top of that. But he came to us in search of protection, and we were willing to aid him. And the girl with him, Ying, a prisoner who can hardly read and write and knows nothing but what her masters have taught her, now a valuable ally and healer in the Paladins.” She chimed, motioning to the couple. She pointed at a woman who had tackled another and prevented the other from her tent-building, “And that woman there, the one bothering Cassie, that’s Kinessa, I know her from my time in the Magistrate. Once a soldier to them, now arms for hire, and by that congeniality between those two, I don’t doubt that Kinessa will offer herself as a loyal Paladin any day.”

Inara eyed Valera, before sighing, “And, this has to do with the Cutthroats in what way?”

“The Twilight Cutthroats, do you know how they hire people?” Valera asked, before answering her own question, “They prey upon the weak. You know as well as I that the Tigron girl took that food, yet you defended her.”

“She seemed hungry.” Inara sighed, “And I have already offered my own food to the Paladin without.”

“She is hungry.” Valera sighed, “The Magistrate knew about The Twilight Cutthroats, a massive group that holds Crosswind Hold. They prey upon the young and hopeless and offer them a chance for a better life, for food and safety. But time and time again, those adolescents don’t end up in their promised dream of fortune and power- or at least the massive majority don’t. A few end up in that life and the others?... They end up in a jail cell. Or they end up with a knife to the ribs in an alley, a broken neck from a robbery gone wrong, or at the end of a noose if the jail cell is not enough for their crimes.”

The two had arrived at a small clearing away from the main camp, where the Twilight Cutthroats were setting up their own place. Valera pointed Inara to a tree branch overhead where the pink-haired girl slept, an apple core in her hand.

“The Paladins offered hope to a man who wanted to start over, to a girl who knew nothing but how to please her master, someday to a woman who wants to be accepted, and I wish that girl there, everyone in the cursed Cutthroats finds a chance of hope here as well.”

\---------------------------

It was not until the carriage rolled to a stop that Khan released his breath. He watched the ebony and emerald carriage stand at the edge of the entrance to the Ruby Kingdom. The twin kirin latched to the front pawed at the ground and snarled at nearby guards.

Khan stood in the doorway, prepared to welcome the guests his majesty had invited to her kingdom, but Khan felt anything but welcoming as the rider of the carriage stepped on to familiar grounds and seemed eager to take in the steps of what was once his home, so long ago.

The man had an entourage of samurai, servants, and scantily clad concubines following close behind him. 

The man arrived at the great door and looked Khan up and down, dark eyes meeting glowing silver.

The man seemed to be waiting for something. Khan knew what, but was not willing to offer.

“Shall I tell your whore princess of your insolence?” The man smirked.

“Tell her what you will.” Khan snarled as he turned from the man and into the building.

The silver-eyed giant led the entourage through the kingdom, and it was not until they had reached the throne room that Khan realised just how tightly he was gripping his fists.

They arrived at the throne room and Khan moved to stand beside the silver-haired Princess Lian, who sat on the throne with a calm gaze and a gentle posture. How Lian managed to keep this composure in the presence of the creature that had just entered the throne room, was absolutely beyond Khan.

Once the entourage had fully entered the throne room, Khan lifted a hand toward the princess and announced her introductions, “The Ruby Princess Lian Amarasi Marilla ‘Scion of House Aico’, First of her Name, Victor among all Champions.”

A samurai prepared to announce his lord’s entry, but the lord raised a hand to silence him and gave his announcements himself, “Zhin ‘The Tyrant’, Bandit King of the East, Warlord of the Thousand Hands Guild. But then, you know that, Lian. I insult your intelligence by introducing myself, and you insult mine by calling yourself the Ruby Princess.”

“Welcome to my kingdom, Warlord Zhin.” Lian bowed her head slightly. Khan could not believe the warm and gentle expression that continued to ride her lips.

Zhin gave a slight frown, and his eyes remained strict. Khan watched him, hoping, praying, that the Tyrant would attack his princess at that moment so he had the excuse he needed to tear Zhin’s head from his body.

One of Zhin’s concubines, a grey Tigron, made eye contact with Khan. He wondered what thoughts could be running through her head at that moment. There was hate in her eyes, although if it was for her master, the Realm, or the Ruby Kingdom, Khan had no way of knowing.

Zhin took a scroll from his coat and threw it on the floor, “What use is it to you to tease me, princess? Have you already grown weary?”

Lian sat back and crossed one pale, slender leg over the other, “You’ve read the letter, or else you would not be here.” She replied.

“An invitation to your little party.” Zhin scoffed.

“You are bandits, correct?” replied Lian, “I would like to hire your services.”

“Yes, I’ve read the damn letter!” the Tyrant snapped, crossing his arms, “And there’s a trick. You hired my guild to join you in your little raid, why?”

Lian raised a hand, her palm to the floor. At her motion Khan moved and took her hand, aiding her out of the chair and down the steps. He knew her, she could get herself out of her throne just fine, but this motion was meant to put her physically close to him, so Zhin could see just how untouchable she was.

“The bandit does not ask why.” Lian stated calmly, slightly adjusting the gold train on her dress, “The bandit asks ‘how much’. You have not asked this, but I will tell you anyway.”

If Lian was nervous, Khan could not tell. She looked Zhin up and down as if watching a peasant, raised her chin, and continued, “Three things are your reward for aiding my army. First, three hundred thousand gold pieces, on top of the price of rations for your army-”

“Eight.” Zhin cut her off.

Lian frowned, before continuing, “No, but whatever we conquer is yours. I care nothing for the land in the Northeast. However, our mission is to approach the Monastery of Tau Kor and convince the Ascended Jenos to join me. They are monks, and there will be no needless bloodshed. Take what you will with the exception of lives, food, and other essentials.”

Zhin eyed her sharply, before snarling, “You waste my time.”

Lian smiled, “Fine, leave, but you will miss out on the third part of my offer.”

Zhin chuckled, “If it is your hand, I don’t want it. That Primus of yours has no doubt already ruined you.”

Lian did not respond to the crude remark. She flicked a hand and her servants moved forward carrying two bundles, one several feet in length, one much smaller.

“I was cleaning your family’s filth out of my kingdom and I found something I thought you might want back. Otherwise I was thinking of just throwing it to the hounds, I have no use for it as a decorations- quite the eyesore.”

The servants uncovered the smaller mound, revealing a pale skinned head with sunken cheeks, wide, dark eyes, a twisted smile, and a scalp adorned with thick, raven black hair.

Zhin’s jaw stiffened in horror as his eyes met the unseeing gaze of his mother.

After several long moments of silence, the Tyrant closed his eyes and spoke quietly, “It is a twisted game you play, Lian.”

Lian smirked, “I learned it from the best.” She looked at the head, then back to Zhin, her expression now serious, “In all honesty, my original plan was not meant to taunt you. I had been watching this head and body as they stood over my kingdom for years, and for all of that time your mother’s beheaded corpse was a symbol of hope to me, an inspiration that the Realm can change, that if we work hard we can fight back against the evils, we can purge the darkness, as I have… but recently, I have received a letter of Aico. My mother-”

“Princess Ling of Melan, I have heard.” Zhin interrupted, “I hate you, Lian, I want nothing more than for you to grovel beneath me, my heel at your lips and your father as dead as my family, but Ling?” He cast his eyes to the floor, “The Melan house was related to ours distantly. My mother remembered yours fondly, her childhood friend, until your father was involved. Your father burned that land to the ground, your people called Melan savages and the Ruby Family nobles… even though our blood was the same. My mother hated your father for what he did to her friend- Ling was mad, you know, your mother was. Your mother had gone mad, her family took their own lives to avoid the fate they would face at the hands of your father… I don’t doubt Ling did the same. Her madness kept her alive, and after you moved away and you were no longer there to give a mother something to live for, your mother had no reason to live.”

“My mother was happy.” Lian spoke softly, although the heartbreak filling her eyes showed that even she doubted her words.

“Believe what you will.” Zhin replied. He motioned for his servants to take his mother’s head and body from Lian’s. He looked at her with a side eye and muttered, “You tell me I am a bastard, I tell you your father was a monster… I suppose we are even.”

“Do you believe that you’re a bastard?” Lian asked. She turned and walked back up the steps to her throne and took a seat.

Zhin gave a pained chuckle, “I suppose I didn’t take much after Bao, and Jia’s hair is a bit light to be purely of the East, but I don’t think it matters anymore, does it?”

“Will you join me to Tau Kor?” Lian spoke as she folded her hands in her lap, taking a moment to straighten her skirt.

Zhin gave a long exhale before staring her in the eye. He did not respond.


	4. Fleeting Memories

  
  


Buck stirred his noodles gently with his chopsticks, waiting patiently. It was polite to let the guest take the first bite, but his strange otherworldly guest was staring at the bowl before her as if her meal was the strangest thing she had ever seen, odd, since she was blind.

“So… do you prefer vegetables?” The monk asked. 

Seris’ eyes lost focus and drifted upward slightly, trying to find Buck. She muttered something under her breath.

“Sorry, I didn’t quite catch that.” replied Buck.

Seris’ brow moved in curiosity. After a silent moment, she spoke up, “You are Jenos’... acquaintance, yes?”

Buck nodded, “And Jenos asked me to keep an eye on you until he gets back from his sermon. I promised him I’d feed you, but if there’s something you prefer eating, I can make that for you.”

“I am not a child.” Seris snapped.

“I, uh, didn’t say you were. What do you want to eat though?” Buck rubbed his bare head.

Seris muttered something under her breath again. Deciding that his guest wasn’t going to eat anything, Buck began to slurp down his own noodles. Seris’ expression turned to one of disgust for a moment, before she seemed to lose focus again.

Buck swallowed down his mouthful before attempting again to start a conversation, “So… how is it in the Abyss?”

“Normal.” was her reply as she touched the lip of her teacup with her index finger. She dragged her fingertip along the edge slowly.

“Normal? How so?” Buck asked.

“The Abyss makes more sense than this Realm ever will.” She sighed softly.

“I thought the Abyss was all chaos and stuff, how does that make sense?” Buck rested an elbow on the table.

Seris gazed up from her teacup and responded, “This Realm is so… finite. You wander, and you find yourself anywhere but where you were. The Abyss is endless, its time is endless, its space is endless. When one wanders, one arrives where he is meant to be. When one ponders, he does so for as long as he is meant to ponder, and no time passes for his allies, they do not miss him.”

Buck nodded, pretending he could make any sense of her words, “So, is Jenos your only friend? Do you have other friends?”

“I have friends who are not yet.” Seris replied, “And friends who were before. I have a lover who has lost her life, but will never be gone from me.”

“I’m sorry to hear your partner died.” Buck replied as he took another bite of his noodles.

Seris smiled, her teeth the only thing paler than her skin, “Do not be sorry. I have killed her.”

Buck wondered when Jenos would return, hoping the Ascended would float through the door any minute and Buck wouldn’t have to entertain his guest anymore.

“W-why did you do that?” Buck asked. He stirred his noodles slightly with his chopsticks.

Seris shook her head, “A dear friend of mine has killed her. She is gone… a marvelous riddance. A goddess fallen from grace. A godslayer standing in the darkness.”

“Sooooo, what about you and Jenos?” Buck asked in an attempt to change the subject, “How did you meet?”

Seris’ jaw tightened. Suddenly she pushed herself from the table and floated from the room, leaving Buck in stunned silence.

\--------------------

  
  


The soft eastern ground gave way to the hooves of thousands of horses and the wheels of hundreds of wagons. Why a portion of the Ruby Knights, a portion of the Thousand Hand Guild Samurai, and a portion of the Magistrate’s knights were required for the tiny little mission at hand was a confusion to Khan. So many soldiers, all to approach a tiny little monastery in the mountains. Had the Monks of the Silver Moon been the target, then maybe at least an army would be necessary, as those monks were experts in the art of ninjutsu, but the Tau Kor Monastery was simply a little rehabilitation centre hiding away in the mountains. Armed forces for such a raid seemed like overkill.

Khan glanced around him. Beside him rode Lian, now dressed in a bit of armour a less formal than her usual garb. She rode a silver unicorn, having rejected a ride in a carriage in favour of moving alongside her troupes. She sat side-saddle on her mount, her chin raised, her gaze calm, her round hips bouncing along with the movements of her steed. Her blue eyes were focused on the long trail ahead of them, on the mountains in the far distance which housed Ascension Peak and the monastery of Tau Kor. Behind her, a pair of draft horses pulled a massive wooden cross, the reason for which Khan had not bothered to ask.

He caught another warrior’s amber eyes locked on the cross. The woman knight, one of the Magistrate, seemed disinterested in the chitter of the other knights around her. Another woman knight seemed to be trying to tell some fantastical story, but this one was disinterested, her eyes moving from the cross to the landscape around and back, her gaze wistful as if she was trying to recall a memory that may not even exist.

Khan moved his steed closer to hers. She did not notice.

“Hi.” Khan spoke. The single word shocked her back into the Realm and she looked up at him, her expression growing cold and emotionless. She smashed a fist into her chest as a salute and bowed her head slightly, “Sir Ash, ‘the War Machine’.”

“Sir Khan, ‘Primus of House Aico’.” The massive warrior responded. He raised his gaze to the surrounding mountains and spoke, “Have you been to this land before?”

“I-I don’t know.” She spoke, her voice oddly soft. Her heels clicked on the horse’s flank and the beast sped slightly, moving away from Khan. He was annoyed by such a show of impudence, but his mind filled with questions about this woman. Her spiky black and red hair was already caked in mud and filth, and despite her short, stocky stature, she held her back straight and her pointed chin up and forward. A mask resembling a goat head rode beside her on the saddle, but its scars and wear did not match the wear of her armour: it seemed she preferred going without protection on her head and face.

Khan pushed his horse forward, and the woman knight noticed. She kicked hers as well, moving farther from him. 

The giant veered his between the rest of the group and the Ash’s, herding her on to the outskirts of the marching troupe.

“What?” Ash snapped, clutching her reins sharply and allowing Khan to travel beside her.

“You intrigue me.” Khan chuckled, watching her with a calm expression, “Tell me, what made you decide to join the Magistrate’s knights? I’ve heard of their ability… it’s rare to find a woman among them.”

Ash scoffed, “The little kid, reading all the tales about knights saving damsels from dragons, isn’t that everyone’s story?”

“Is it yours?” Khan responded.

Ash frowned, she watched him for a long moment, before looking back at the trail ahead, “I don’t know. I don’t remember my childhood tales.”

“Were you the damsel?” He spoke softly.

Ash glared, “Why, because I’m a woman?”

Khan shook his head, “It’s easy to tell apart those who chose knighthood because they wanted to slay dragons, from those who chose knighthood because they were the damsel, male or female.” He motioned toward the other knights she had been walking with. One, a tall Spirish man with dark hair and a spark in his eyes, was telling an amazing story of some creature he had defeated recently. The other knights with him would cut him off or call him out on the parts of the story that seemed too made-up.

“It’s the look in the eyes.” Khan spoke, “It’s the pride in the smile. It’s the thought on the brow. This morning, you were up before dawn training. They were moseying around the campfire drinking coffee, but you woke up to the feeling of dirt on your face, if I recall. You have been saved, haven’t you? Do you remember the name of the knight who saved you?”

Ash shook her head sharply, “No, no, I was a little girl, I don’t remember.”

Khan watched her cold eyes. He spoke slowly, “What was his name?”

“Sir Mason… Sir Mason of the Greenscape.” She sighed, “I wanted to serve him as a squire as soon as I reached the age, but… he was one of the knights who travelled on the quest to the Dragonfang and… well, you know how that story ended.”

“I recall his name from the legends, I would have loved to meet him.” Khan replied, “As well, I offer you my condolences, Sir Ash. But… there is one thing I would like to ask, if you do not mind.”

Ash nodded, “Shoot.”

Khan looked away, not much willing to watch her expression as he asked her, “What does your family think of this? I’ve never understood what woman knights give up by taking their mantle.”

“And what do you think I gave up?” her tone was sharp, but humoured.

Khan smiled sheepishly, “I cannot much see how a body battered by the teeth of beasts and weapons of men could… bare children. Your parents must be-”

A laugh cut him off. Ash raised a hand to her jaw to stifle herself before replying, “Yeah, that’s not happening. I don’t do kids. Or men. Or anyone. Or romance. Or… you know. Also, my parents died when I was a little girl, so they don’t really get a say in the matter, hmm?”

“My apologies.” Khan coughed in embarrassment.

The two shared a laugh, before hurrying to catch up with the other knights in the troupe.

  
  
  


\-----------------------------------------------

  
  


Ying shrieked in alarm as the Cutthroat’s teeth nearly caught her arm.

“I’m trying to help you, calm down please!” the tiny elf whined, clutching her arms to her chest nervously. The pink-haired half-Tigron who Ying had been trying to help snarled in return and hid the scrape on the back of her wrist from Ying, “I fell from a tree, I do that sometimes, I don’t need help!”

Ying frowned and held out a hand, “Please, let me help you, it could get infected and get worse.”

The Tigron girl snapped at her again, before darting away. Ying considered summoning an Illusion to follow her, but decided against it.

The elf lifted off of the ground and levitated through the camp, eventually coming to her own little green tent. She began to pack her clothes into her knapsack in preparation for the group’s departure from this place. As she reached for a white nightshirt, a hand suddenly grasped her shoulder. 

Ying shrieked in alarm and crumbled to the ground. The soft dirt became a stone floor, the sounds of the camp around her became a cold and desolate echo, the tent before her became a matress on the floor, no pillows or blankets against the harsh and painful winds that came through the only window. Ying crawled to the corner of the prison cell, huddling her arms around her knees as she tried to get her bearings. Was this the cell of the Thousand Hands Guild? No, no, she knew this place: the jail cell of the Bandit King of the Greenscape… what was his name? Did it matter?

Someone was coming to the high stone door before her, she could feel the footsteps. Had she been bad again? Had she misbehaved in some way she wouldn’t understand?

A tear dripped down her cheek as the lock on the door unlatched, the handle turned.

Her lips quivered as she tried to remain silent, a task she found not difficult as there was no air in her lungs with which to scream or plead. The door opened and Ying buried her head in her hands, tears flowing down her cheeks. What did her king want with her this time?

Her skirt felt sticky and hot, and a bad smell filled her nostrils. She had wet herself, her King would be furious, he’d double the lashes.

The guard was standing before her now. He knelt down to grab her and wrench her from the floor, she braced herself in preparation.

“Y-Ying?” The voice was feminine, carrying a Northern accent.

“Ying? Wha- are- are you okay?” A hand touched her knee gently. Ying opened her eyes and raised her head. She wasn’t in a cell, she wasn’t a prisoner, she was in the camp of the Paladins and there was no guard about to take her away, only a blonde-haired Northern woman with a look of utter horror in her sapphire eyes.

“Y-Ying?” The woman gasped. Her lips quivered as if she was trying to find something else, anything else, to say.

Ying inhaled as slowly as she could muster, before letting out an equally long exhale. She moved a hand behind her to support herself and whimpered, “I’m okay, Tyra… I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you.”

“Scare you?” Tyra cried, “It looks like you’ve been attacked! I only wanted to ask if you needed any help packing, but I touched your arm and you went down like colt to a Gorlock!” The warrior glanced down, before looking back up to Ying and attempting to make eye contact. Ying’s face grew red as she realised Tyra must have noticed her mess. The elf closed her legs tightly, deciding that the sight was more shameful than the feeling.

“Do- uh- do you need some privacy?” Tyra stood up and took a step back. Without a word, Ying dove into her tent.

  
  


About half an hour later, Ying emerged from her tent. She had finished packing, changed her clothes, and decided to take a small break before packing down her tent.

The elf floated through the camp, watching the others. 

“Ying, are you okay? What happened?” came a voice behind her. Ying turned to see Cassie, the flame-haired Huntress.

“Uh, nothing happened, I’m fine. Why?” Ying replied sheepishly, hiding her hands behind her body.

“Tyra said you freaked out and collapsed and had an accident, are you sure you’re okay?” Cassie replied, holding out a hand to Ying, “I’m here to listen if you need me.”

Ying floated away from Cassie without a word. The elf’s face felt hot.

She found the Northern warrior covering up a fire pit with dirt and mud.

“You told Cassie?!” Ying snapped at Tyre. The warrior looked up from her work, “Oh, hello Ying. Yeah, I was worried about you, I let her and a few other people know you were upset so they’d know to be careful with you.”

“You told her I made water!” Ying attempted to keep her voice lowered in her angry screech.

“Um, yes, of course.” Tyra replied.

“What do you mean, ‘of course’?”

Tyra shrugged, “If you smell like urine, you might attract predators. Where I’m from, we don’t hide these things, we don’t keep secrets. Any little thing could put the group at risk.”

Ying collapsed on the ground and hugged her knees. She buried her head in her hands.

Tyra’s hand touched her shoulder gently as the warrior spoke, “I didn’t mean to embarrass you, I was only trying to help. I’m just… not used to you Southerners and how you keep everything so quiet. It was an issue I had in the Magistrate too… secrets do nothing but get in the way, and the bigger they are, the more dangerous releasing them becomes. I don’t like them at all, I don’t keep them.”

“I’ll remember to never confide in you.” Ying snapped, before her expression became soft, “I’m sorry, that was mean, but I’m just frustrated. It’s why I wanted to come to Tau Kor with the group.”

“Oh?” Tyra sat beside Ying.

Ying sighed, “Tau Kor is a place for healing, both mind and body. I thought the Ascended might be able to help me learn to get over what happened to me.”

Tyra opened her mouth as if to speak, but seemed to decide against it. She placed a hand on Ying’s back softly.

“Well, I should let you get back to your work, and I need to pack my tent.” Ying raised from the ground, feeling a bit better. Tyra nodded and turned back to filling in her firepit as the elf floated away.


	5. Life, Love, and Loss

_ A bloodcurdling scream filled the cold stone hallways of the Thousand Hands Keeps dungeon. _

_ Buck looked up from his card game with the massive elf guard before him. _

_ “Your turn.” The elf snapped, not looking up from his hand. Buck rolled his eyes, placed his cards down facedown, and moved off down the dungeon hallway. He cursed his luck under his breath: if only he had been able to move just a little faster, leap just a little further, the blasted thief would not have escaped with that armful of his Master Zhin’s things and he wouldn’t have been punished with dungeon duty. _

_ The dungeons were home to Zhin’s darkest enemies, those who had dared cross him, and the slaves who would just not respond to the bite of the whip. A few nights in the cold, dark solitude was enough to drive any mad, but the screaming girl was already mad. _

_ It was his master’s hobby to buy women and meticulously, slowly, carefully, drive them past the brink of sanity. Buck arrived at the jail cell and shoved the heavy stone door open. The tiny window on the wall illuminated a small elven girl huddled in the corner, staring at the guard with wide, doe eyes, large almond-coloured irises, and tears streaming down her soft cheeks. Suddenly she shrieked out in alarm, her words mashed together and unintelligible, something about voices, voices. She crawled forward a pace toward Buck, screaming something barely coherent about making the voices stop. Then she collapsed back, as if she remembered who Buck was and what he had done to her. She hid her face from him. _

_ This girl… she was an object, she was an artifact that belonged to his master, yet there was something in the back of his head telling him that everything he had done, everything he was, was wrong. _

_ The girl’s face was buried in her hands as she sobbed loudly. Buck reached out a hand to her and her face raised from her hands. Her wide doe eyes opened to reveal violet irises and sightless pupils. _

  
  


Buck sat up in his bed in alarm, his face crashing into someone else’s. The other person cowered away in pain and rubbed the bridge of her nose, crying out. She glared at him, her sightless eyes barely focused on his form.

“Wha- what are you doing in my room?” Buck snapped, turning on his tableside crystal lamp. 

“On what do you dream, mortal?” Seris asked. A trickle of brownish red blood slowly began from her nose.

“Apparently your creepy eyes.” The monk muttered under his breath. He noticed that the woman was currently dressed in nothing but an open coat that barely reached her hips, almost revealing herself and explicitly revealing her breasts. He modestly shielded his eyes.

The door to his room opened and The Ascended entered the room. Jenos had not his mask or a shirt, and his silver-blue hair was rough and messy.

“Seris!” Jenos spoke in a strong voice, “No! We do not enter other people’s bedrooms without their permission, that is very inappropriate!”

Seris frowned and faced the floor. The trickle of blood dripped from her nose, leaving a small trail behind on the floor as she moved off of the low bed and to Jenos. She placed her head on his shoulder and he gently stroked her bald head.

“My apologies, Buck. My dear Seris is not quite used to the formalities of possessing a mortal body.” Jenos spoke calmly. The god led Seris from the room and closed the door behind the duo.

Buck sighed and moved out of his bed. His head was throbbing from smacking his face into Seris’ and besides, he did not much feel like trying to sleep anymore. He sat on the floor at his bedside table and scrolled through his worn brown journal, recalling his adventure from the Magistrate’s army to Tau Kor, and his slow work at regaining his individuality and sanity over all of these years.

The monk closed his eyes and took a deep breath. He missed the faint snores of other monks around him. When Jenos had arrived at Tau Kor, he had been offered a small home to allow him and his Abyssal companion some privacy, and The Ascended had requested Buck take one of the bedrooms. Buck had eagerly agreed, not realizing how soothing the presence of the other monks in a sleeping quarters was. Now, all he could hear was the faint voices of Jenos and Seris’ conversation through the thin reed walls of the neighbouring bedroom. 

Giving up hope of any peace for the remaining two or three hours of the night, Buck stood, dressed in comfort garb, and left the home into the quiet of the night.

  
  


\------------------------

  
  
  


Khan sat back on his sleeping mat, his eyes closed gently as he listened to the sounds outside his tent. There was a soft rain pattering on the canvas that surrounded him, walled him from the troops moving back and forth in their camp outside. 

Khan’s silver eyes opened and he reached for his knapsack, rifling through it with determination. He found his object of desire, a small photograph of Lian in her evening gown, her hair amess, her eyes barely focused. He had taken this one years ago when she was a young maiden, barely flowered, after she had come to his room in the dead of night complaining of bad dreams. He had taken her little form in his arms and held her close, humming a melody he couldn’t quite remember, before tucking her into bed beside himself, his body wrapped around her, pressed against her warmth.

The photo’s rim was worn from the decades of him tracing his fingers on it, and it bore stains of sweat from the countless battles in which it had ridden in his helmet, giving him hope to continue moving on, always fighting, always winning for House Aico and for his beloved Princess Lian.

He placed the picture in the pocket of his scarlet and gold trimmed coat and moved outside his tent, his feet bare in the cool, soft mud, his freshly trimmed and slicked hair moistening in the humidity of the morning. The only armour he wore was his golden gauntlet, freshly cleaned for the day. 

Soldiers from the three factions moved back and forth with a briskness, eager to pick up their packings and continue moving forward. The mountain range in which Ascension Peak stood loomed in the distance, watching the invading armies. Khan gazed at the sky, watching the soft clouds and the way the dark clouds in the distance loomed in, threatening an oncoming storm.

Somewhere over the trees, he spotted a flash of red: a scarlet bird struggled against the storm winds, yet why it would not simply hide in the trees and wait the storm out, Khan was unsure.

The mighty primus was interrupted from his ponderings by a scream. He moved to the sound, to see a pair of Tigron from the Thousand Hands, a massive black-furred samurai and the short grey tabby female he had seen before. The samurai was wrestling the girl to the ground and tearing at her shirt in the middle of the Thousand Hands portion of the encampment, yet not a single other member of the camp even cast them a glance. Khan frowned, before stepping toward the duo and raising his gauntlet toward them.

“You’re mine!” He growled, and the magic of his gauntlet came to life, wrenching the samurai away from the helpless girl and moving him by his chest into Khan’s hand. The samurai snarled and slashed a fist full of claws in the giant’s face. Khan responded by aiming his gauntlet and blasting the samurai into a nearby tree, stunning him.

He turned back to the girl. Before he could ask if she was alright, she leaped to her feet and rushed to the samurai’s aid, touching the now growing welt on his head.

Khan shook his head and moved away from this portion of the camp. He spotted someone moving with a purpose toward Lian’s tent, and decided to intercept the man.

As he moved closer, Khan recognised the topless man’s long raven-black hair and the scars and tattoos of fire that littered his back.  _ Zhin _ .

“My lady has not yet awoken.” Khan snapped, causing Zhin to pause and glance up at the warrior.

“I don’t recall asking.” was the Tyrant’s response as he continued his move forward.

Khan hurried and put himself between Zhin and the tent.

“My lady’s sleep  _ will not be interrupted _ .” Khan hissed through his teeth.

Zhin’s dark eyes closed as he chuckled. He crossed his scar-covered arms before his chest and eyed Khan up and down slowly.

“It must be painful.” The Tyrant muttered, his dark eyes meeting Khan’s glowing silver, “You’ve pledged your life to her, you live as her dog, when she wishes to sit you offer her your knee, and what thanks do you get?”

Khan gripped his fists as he snarled back, “The knowledge that I carry out my purpose and give my dying breath to my lady is my reward, greater than any gold shrine.”

Zhin leaned closer to the man, “It must be painful, agonizing. It was painful when you were younger, knowing that the woman you loved was pledged to sit on my lap, knowing how badly I wanted to hurt her, knowing how the one person you couldn’t protect her from would be the man she took instead of you.” He leaned back and scoffed, “Now look at you. She’s never going to marry me, even if I do still hold our betrothal contract. She’s all yours, and yet she doesn’t give you the time of day.”

Khan stared at the space above Zhin’s head as he responded, “You and I are different. You are like a child, all you can think of is your toys, everything is your toys. My Lady- Lian- is not your toy and she never would have been. She is more clever than you, stronger than your mother, more resilient than the women you destroy, fiercer than the samurai at your sides… I do not pain because I cannot love her… because I do. I do love her, this I am not afraid to admit. I follow her and love her not as her dog, but as something you will never understand. Zhin, no one will ever love you, no one will ever respect you, no one will ever think of you as more than an insane toddler with a flaming sword. Therefore, you will never understand the way I love Lian, and how proud it makes me feel to know she has stepped on you like the insect you are.”

Zhin frowned, seemingly taken aback by the fact that Khan had not stooped to his harassment. Khan smiled, his gaze sharp. He leaned to Zhin and whispered into the man’s ear in a dark tone, “And, do not flatter yourself, brat. You may swing a broadsword on the battlefield, but in the bedroom you must wield a dirk. Why else must you buy a woman, or contractually force her, to interact with it?”

The two men stood in silence for a long moment, before Zhin inhaled deeply and turned on his heel.

\-------------------------

Valera picked up her plate of food and moved away from her group, ignoring the protests of her field commanders as she decided against sitting with them for breakfast. Cassie, Inara, and the Stone Golem Druah would have to make do without her, Valera decided as she moved through the camp. She approached the small Cutthroat encampment near the Paladins’ current position and sat beside a group of young men and women who were scarfing down their meals over stories.

As soon as the elven warrior was seated, the party fell dead silent.

A brown-furred Tigronish beast across from Valera watched her, eyes narrowed, teeth bared. The Pink-haired girl touched the beasts’ arm and whispered something to her that seemed to sooth her.

“What do you want?” a dark skinned elven boy in the group asked.

“I-I thought I might get to know you lot. I’m Valera, Leader of the Paladins.” she replied, smiling sheepishly.

Members of the group moved away to eat elsewhere. The beast attempted to lead the pink-haired girl away with them, but she refused.

Once Valera and the pink-haired girl were alone, the girl eyed the elf with slit pupils, “Maeve, ‘of Blades’.”

“Well it’s nice to meet you.” Valera smiled, “We’re happy to have you all along with us.”

Maeve shoved a spoonful of porridge into her mouth and mumbled through the food, “We’re happy to get paid.”

“Tell me, Maeve, what is your goal in life?” Valera asked, stirring her own breakfast soup.

Maeve chuckled, “Goal in life? What the hell is that?”

“Oh, you know,” The elf replied, “Where do you think you’ll be in ten years?”

“Dead.” was the girl’s answer through another mouthful of porridge.

“Dead? Why do you say that?”

Maeve shrugged, “Shot, stabbed, hung, OD, curse, whatever happens I guess.”

“Curse? Have you been upsetting gods?” Valera asked, cocking a brow.

Maeve shook her head, “No, no, nothing like that…” She gazed off as she spoke, “My dam was a Tigron, and she loved a human. And then there was me, and the human left. She grew weaker and weaker, and one day she just collapsed and never woke up. My grandmother- the Tigron- told me it was my fault, my mother was cursed. So I guess I’m cursed too. This body doesn’t work, I can’t have kittens, I need to take junk to sleep and even more junk to cure the headaches the first junk gives me, and all that junk will kill my liver faster than the booze I’m on every other night ever will…”

“I’m so sorry.” Valera spoke softly.

Maeve laughed, “Sorry? Don’t be sorry, my life is amazing.”

Valera’s eyes widened, “Amazing? What could possibly be amazing about all of that?”

Maeve jumped to her feet and motioned for Valera to stand with her. Once the elf was standing, Maeve pointed to the Paladins, “What is that, elf?”

“It’s my people, the Paladins.” Valera replied.

“And what do they stand for?”

“We stand for freedom, peace in the Realm, access to magic for all!” Valera’s back straightened a bit as she spoke.

“Okay, say you win this stupid war you think you have a chance of winning, what then? We get magic, then what?” Maeve crossed her arms as she eyed the elf.

“Science will prosper, magic will lead us into a new age of technology and prosperity!” Valera replied proudly.

Maeve snorted, “So after two groups of idiots are done squabbling over a new fancy toy, more toys will be invented. Who’s to say two new groups of idiots won’t fight over that? And when one wins, the winner will make new toys and, oh look, more squabbling. Over and over, always and on.”   
Valera frowned, “Well, I guess, but-”   
“How long have you been alive, pointy-ear?” Maeve cut her off, “How many pointless squabbles have you seen? Millions die because of two idiots and their groups of idiots? How many?”

Valera stammered as Maeve continued, “You’ve probably been alive centuries. Me? I won’t make it to thirty. You have to care what the future holds, you have to care what is going to happen. Me? Five years ago I was drugged out of my mind in a crystal dance music nightclub- have you ever seen CDMers? They exist as mindless drones like the rest of you during the day, but once the sun sets they-we- would come alive. Then a group of idiots took away the crystals and the music. Back to being mindless drones for us, the man I cared about went back to his family, his military, the group of idiots who took away the music in the first place. Five years later I’m drugged out of my mind in a group of thieves. We steal, we break, we run, and we do it until we die because why not? We’re going to die anyway. I knew that when my mother died, when the little kitten me asked my grandmother if it was my fault and she looked me in the eye and told me ‘yes’. I knew it when my grandmother threw me out because I don’t have fur or claws or a tail. I knew it when my recruiter used me as a bargaining chip to convince a boy my age to join our crew. I knew it when the doctor told me I’d never have kittens- not like I’d want to anyway. We’re going to die, and you elves forget that sometimes. But I know it. We’re going to die, everyone of us, and how would you rather us live? Wasting every breath wondering about the future, or spending every moment living in the present? Some of us don’t get to live centuries, some of us don’t get a future. Maybe you do, but I don’t, so I’m not going to live my life pretending I am.”

Valera bit her lip to hold back her emotions. Every muscle in her body was screaming for her to crouch down to the girl and hug her until she knew she would never be alone again, but Valera was well aware that doing so might result in one of the blades on Maeve’s hip to end up in Valera’s stomach.

Maeve snorted at Valera’s expression of horrified sadness, before the girl took a flask from her pocket, took a swig, and walked off back to her group with no other words.


	6. The Day Draws Close

_ “Keep running. _

_ Don’t stop running. _

_ If you stop, you’ll die. _

_ They’re going to kill you. _

_ They want to kill you.” _

_ The words her mother spoke to her ran through her mind in a voice she could not remember. _

_She couldn’t remember her mother’s face or tone, the feel of her skin, the scent of her hair. She couldn’t remember anything but the empty feeling in her stomach as her father rose from the dining table suddenly, demanding she and her mother hide in the closet in the bedroom of the little house the merchant family had been staying in. She remembered her father grabbing his bat and moving to the front door as her mother pulled her into the room, leaving their half-touched suppers behind. _

_ She remembered huddling into her mother’s breast as the men broke in and searched the house. _

_ She remembered her mother breathing those horrible words into her ear. _

_ She remembered the closet door flying open, and the torchlight bathing her face as they took her mother away. _

_ She remembered running. _

_ She was running. _

_ There was no breath in her lungs. _

_ Her bare feet scraped and scratched against the rough dirt and sharp stones _

_ Her long ebony hair flicked in the wind and batted her face. _

_ Her mother always told her that she had beautiful hair. _

_ She could hear the clawed paws of the hounds behind her. They were going to kill her. She wasn’t going to outrun them and they were going to tear her to pieces. _

_ She could hear a loud thundering sound up ahead, and just through the undergrowth she spotted something that made her heart cease it’s drumming beat and freeze. _

_ The edge of a cliff. _

_ She stopped in her tracks. _

_ The hounds were nearing. _

_ She was going to die. _

_ She was going to die. _

_ She looked around her. _

_ She was going to die. _

_ On the ground a few feet away lay a large thick stick, about the length of her arm. _

_ She was going to die. _

_ She snatched it up, holding it in the crook of her elbow. _

_ She was going to die. _

_ She turned to the hounds. She could see their warm breath on the cold air. She could see their pearly white fangs, waiting to be stained crimson. She could see the hate, the darkness, the insanity in their eyes. _

_ She clutched the stick and raised it high above her head. _

_ She was going to live. _

  


The woman’s eyes shot open as she sat up in her bedroll. She could hear something outside her tent.

With little hesitation, she snatched her sharp-tipped mounted flag from the breastplate of the armour that was strewn haphazardly around her. With no thought to even equip shoes, she hurried from her tent, staring into the darkness of midnight.

She could hear the voices, someone was talking… She remembered voices.

She remembered the feeling of the ropes bound to her wrists, tying her to a small stake in the ground. She remembered the voices of those outside the tent… months of those voices outside the tent she was trapped in.

She shook her head to clear her thoughts. It didn’t matter what had happened to her so many years ago. What mattered was now. Now there were people in that forest, sneaking up to kill her. Her tent was far from the Magistrate’s camp, she didn’t like sleeping around others. But someone had found her, someone was going to kill her.

She moved swiftly through the undergrowth, her flag pole clutched to her side. Her flag was pointed down, the sharp standing point raised.

She could see him, he couldn’t see her. He had his back to her.

Giving a battle shout, she leapt from the undergrowth at the short Giant. He cried out in alarm and ducked, narrowly missing the flagpole and instead smashing his face into her knee.

She caught herself in a roll and turned on her heel, pointing her staff to the other one, a dark-skinned man with short, bleached hair

“Qué mierda! Ash!” the giant moved a few paces away from her on his hands and knees before rising to his feet at a safe distance. He rubbed the growing bruise on his cheek.

Ash’s face warmed in embarrassment as she lowered her flag and planted it gently in the soft mud.

“Sorry Fernando, you startled me.” she muttered to him, before glancing to his companion. After giving him a questioning look, he shrugged and spoke, “Lex, Hand of Justice.”

“I startled you? Seriously Ash, you nearly took off my head!” Fernando snapped, “And look at what you have done to my beautiful face.”

“What are you doing out here?” Lex cut in, crossing his arms before his broad chest.

“I don’t like sleeping near the others-” Ash began, but Fernando cut her off, “She gets night terrors. Screams like a banshee for hours. Somehow does not wake herself up from her own screaming.” 

Ash glared at him. He shrugged and continued to rub his sore cheek. She eyed him carefully before asking, “So… what are you two doing out here?”

Lex suddenly ceased eye contact. Fernando glanced to him, before looking back to Ash and replying quickly, “We were patrolling… you know, vigilance never sleeps.”

Ash and Fernando watched each other for a long moment, before she sighed and uprooted her flagstaff.

“Whatever.” She muttered, walking away from the duo.

“Oh, Ash?...” Fernando spoke. She paused, glancing over her shoulder to him.

He looked to the ground before continuing, “I know I make fun of you but… If you ever want to talk, I’m here.”

Ash sighed and glanced away.

“Oh, Nando?...”

“Sí?”

“Shirt’s backwards.” With that, she walked into the darkness.

\----------------------------------------

Buck moved very carefully, reaching the feather duster into the smallest nooks and crannies of the wings on the great statue of the Furia of Tau Kor. He shooed a spider off of the monk statue’s head, guiding the tiny creature on to his hand. Once it was safely in his palm, he moved it over to the windowsill and placed it in the flower pots.

“There, you’ll have a lot more luck catching bugs out here.” He chuckled, before moving back into the centre of the temple to continue his sweeping. He began and the feet of the Ascended’s statue, carefully dusting each fold of cloth.

“I’m surprised the Ascended great buddy is stuck doing cleaning chores.” came a mutter from behind him. Buck glanced over his shoulder at a dark-haired monk, who watched him with crossed arms.

“Stuck with cleaning duties? Nonsense Hal, I love cleaning, you know that.” Buck chimed, “Always keeping myself busy.”

Hal frowned, glancing over the statues, “Well, your his special friend right? I don’t suppose you’ve noticed anything… odd about him, hmm?”

Buck lowered his duster and turned to fully face the short man, “Odd? Odd how?”

Hal sighed, “Look, a few of us are worried about that… monster, he’s had around. I mean look at her, she’s creepy, she’s weird, she seems to hate the children and… why, because of her, the Ascended doesn’t even seem to be able to keep a vow of celibacy!”

“Hey, that’s not how we run things here.” Buck replied sternly, “No one in Tau Kor has to take any vows they don’t want to. That’s what Jenos and the Monk Furia fought for, we have the freedom to discover our journeys ourselves. And anyway… Jenos _ went _ on his journey, I’m not even sure if vows are even still useful to him.”

“She’s from the Abyss. You tell me- with a straight, honest face- that she doesn’t creep you out.” Hal replied, “That she _ should _ be here… that… that any of this makes sense. I mean, you’ve read the books in the library, haven’t you? The chapter of the Eternal Pyre that contains the prophecies written during the times of Furias past- that chapter has a whole poem dedicated to some creature called Seris that looks just like her! You really don’t think that creature Jenos brought is _ the _ Seris?”

“Well duh, she’s _ the _Seris.” Buck chuckled, “And I hadn’t read that book, sorry. But sure, she probably is that Seris. What of it?”

Hal palmed his forehead, “I can’t believe you. You’re not concerned at all?”

Buck placed a hand on the man’s shoulder, “Look, sure, I’m concerned. Yeah, she creeps me out, yeah she probably committed homicide by proxy or something- honestly I’m not sure of the details there, something about her girlfriend and a godslayer. And, I don’t know what happened in the city of Seris and what exact part she played in that but… I’ve done things too. I’ve hurt people, I’ve taken lives, I’ve taken property, I’ve taken innocence… I came here because I knew I wouldn’t be judged here. I’d be welcomed so my healing process could begin. Shame on you, all of you, for judging her. Maybe she’s here for healing too! We should help her, just like we help everyone else.”

Hal frowned and looked away. Buck sighed, moving his hand off of Hal’s shoulder, “Look, if it worries everyone so much, I’ll bring it up to Jenos. I’m sure he has good intentions, and I know he will be honest with me. I’ve got this.”

  


\------------------------

  


With a final twist, the bolt clicked into place. The wire inside the glass ball attached to the top of the machine began to warm up, and as it did, the glass ball began to illuminate brightly. 

Suddenly, the wire coils turned off and the light vanished.

“Whatcha got there, Mister B?” Came a bright voice behind him. Barik turned to see the smiling face of the Ska’drin boy, Talus.

“Light crystals are in limited supply.” Barik replied, “I was trying to see if I could hook up any crystal’s power to produce light, by powering the coils here and making them glow, but…” He trailed off as he noticed the ruby coloured crystal clutched in the boy’s right hand.

“Talus. Where did you get that?” the Dwarf asked slowly.

“Oh, it was just sitting on the little pedestal over there.” Talus chimed, motioning toward the metal pedestal that Barik had been using to retrieve power from the crystal.

Barik opened his mouth to reply, but paused as he rethought over his words carefully. He considered just how badly his wife might beat him if he spoke to his own children the way he wanted to respond to Talus at that moment.

Deciding against responding, Barik silently took the crystal out of the Ska’drin’s hand.

“I want to help! How can I help?” Talus chirped.

Barik thought for a moment, before replying, “Er, I think Valera could use your pesteri- I mean- help with… I don’t know, whatever she’s doing.”

“On it, sir!” Talus yelled before sprinting off out of the room.

Barik sighed, recalling the day he had first met the young lad. He had entered his workshop in the Citadel after a long day of researching in the Magistrate’s Archives, when he had noticed one of the only windows in the tool-and-junk filled room had been knocked open. As he moved to close it, he had heard what sounded like the whimpering of a babe, and he had noticed a thin flicking tail bouncing on the ground from behind an old suit of mechanized armour he had been working on. 

He had moved the suit to get a better look at the owner of the tail, and found a pale-skinned Ska’drin boy who was holding an infant, desperately trying to calm her and bottle-feed her.

Barik had taken the boy and babe in and cared for them a few months until the Paladins gathered in their stronghold, a village hidden away in the rocky outskirts of Cobalt Keep. There, wee Talus and his babe sister were able to reunite with their mother, who was very grateful for Barik’s aid.

The Dwarf decided to put his tools away gently, realising that he had been at work all morning and the Paladins would be on the move again soon. He was excited to see Tau Kor and the Monks of Ascension Peak, and he could not wait to ask the Ascended about crystal magic. The Ascended had been in the Cosmos for centuries, he had surely so much wisdom to share, and perhaps he knew how the mechanics of the Realm could truly use crystal magic to bring peace and prosperity to the Realm.

Barik smiled as he hurried his work of putting his things away. It wouldn’t be long now, the group was only a few days away from Tau Kor, they could see the cliffs in the distance. Miles and miles of traveling north in this strange land of the Eastern Continent, followed by a few miles of traveling east, and they were finally almost there.

A noise nearby interrupted Barik’s inner monologue. He glanced up from his cleaning to see that just outside his tent, Talus had found Valera and was excitedly skipping around her and asking her if he could aid her. She made annoyed, yet humoured eye contact with Barik for a moment, before returning to her work of trying to get the boy to tone down his voice. Some Paladins were still sleeping, after all.

Barik moved outside his tent, waving a quick hello to the fair-skinned, flame-haired Lady Greenwood as she passed alongside her dark-skinned companion. The two hardly noticed him, so caught up in some exciting conversation.

A cold wind blew through the Paladins’ camp. Barik shivered and glanced at the people around him. He could see smiling faces, warm gazes, but something seemed off. He was not quite sure what, but he felt a sudden feeling of dread.

The rising sun barely warmed the morning and the birds were already singing in the trees. The clouds and morning fog obscured the mountain range nearby from view.

Everything was peaceful and happy in the camp, the way to Tau Kor seemed peaceful and simple, but Barik felt, somewhere deep down, that something was very wrong.


	7. The Changes of Life

Buck was very careful not to step on the growing sprouts in the garden as he walked. He could smell the sweet honey aroma that Jenos usually emitted, and the Ascended had last been spotted moving into the gardens to meditate.

Buck exited the place where the new sprouts had been planted and stepped toward the bush labyrinth in the center of the garden.

Berries had begun to grow in the labyrinth, and little red specks were visible among the leaves here. Nineteen different types of berry bushes lived in this labyrinth, growing together in different portions of it, but this was not the most curious thing about the intricate growth.

Buck stepped through the wall of bushes and was met by dead silence. No bird sounds, no sounds of insects, nothing but his own breath, his own gently beating heart.

The bushes were lined with plates that blocked external sound. There was no better place in the monastery to meditate than the true and utter silence of this labyrinth.

Where else would Jenos be?

Buck moved slowly and patiently. There was no risk of getting lost here, there were no dead ends.

He allowed his mind to flow as he walked through the path of bushes and berries and flowers. His mind flowed back to a time long ago, when he had first heard of this place, when he had first decided that he would settle in Tau Kor once and for all…

_ “Are you crazy?” Viktor snapped, slamming a hand down on the table. The lantern in the center of the table shook, it’s light bouncing gently on the walls of the small, dark meeting room in the Magistrate’s Fort. _

_ Buck sat back, looking at the others in the room, “Come on, what more do we have here anyway? You saw the way Karne looked at us…” He muttered quietly. He glanced to Strix, hoping the aged warrior would side with him, but Strix’s blank sight was locked to the window. The sniper was emotionless, save for the slight quivering of his lips as he sucked on his cigar. _

_ “There will be chaos in the Realm.” Viktor growled, his small brown eyes locked on Buck’s, “Crystal technology is advancing, and soon commoners will have their hands on it. What if the commonfolk make weapons out of them like the Magistrate has? Or… worse.” _

_ “That’s what you’re focusing on?” Buck replied. “You care more about what’s going to happen than what has happened? Don’t you know that we’re-” _

_ “Why are we still kissing Karne’s ass?” Came a voice from the back of the room. Viktor and Buck turned to Tyra, who eyed up both of them sharply from her position kneeling on the floor in front of the empty fireplace. _

_ “What the hell is that supposed to mean?” Replied Viktor’s cold voice. _

_ Tyra rose to her feet, “Buck’s right, what are we even doing here anymore? Karne doesn’t want us, he made that clear when he took away the ‘Us’!” _

_ “We aren’t Sentinels… we’re nothing now…” Buck tried to raise his voice, but it just cracked. He glanced to Strix again but the sniper was still looking away. _

_ “Tyra, Buck…” Viktor paused for a deep breath, before looking past the larger man and to his blonde apprentice, “Tyra, I would never have expected something like this from you… how could you think like that? Yes, we have lost our position… but we will gain it back! We will prove ourselves again, we will fight for the Citadel-” _

_ “No, we will not.” Tyra interrupted, “I don’t want to do this anymore. Face it, Vi… Sir… face it, we have lost everything.” _

_ “That’s not the way I taught you to think of your predicaments.” Viktor spoke slowly, “When we fall, we get back up stronger.” _

_ “You didn’t seem to want Kinessa to get back up stronger.” Strix spoke, his eyes still focused on the window. _

_ “That’s different.” Viktor replied, “Kinessa didn’t want to be here and she made that damn clear. If she wants to abandon us-” _

_ “Or you all could have not made her life hell.” Strix turned to glare at his former officer, “It’s your fault she’s gone because you couldn’t just accept her for who she is. You don’t know how many times she couldn’t finish her training for the day because she was too stressed out from the lies everyone kept telling about her. You knew those lies were spreading and you could have stopped it. You. Did. Nothing.” _

_ Viktor opened his mouth to respond, before seemingly deciding against it and watching Strix silently. After a long moment, he finally spoke, “I mean the best for my team. If Kinessa doesn’t want to be in that team, so be it. But you three, you are loyal. You care more about your team than your… personal life. I know the loss of our Sentinels has hit you hard but-” _

_ “But that’s just it!” Buck spoke, “There is no team! We don’t have a team Viktor. The only one of us who still has any light to Karne is Strix… why else would Strix still be at least allowed to train a sharpshooter or two instead of being literally nothing like the rest of us?” He paused and glanced to Strix, “No hard feelings though, man, I respect your skill.” _

_ Strix glanced away again and took another puff of his cigar. _

_ “I am going back to the Greenscape.” Tyra muttered, “Ghostfeather, you would be wise to join me. The Magistrate doesn’t want us anymore, but my tribe in the Frontier wants me, and I’m sure your tribe still wants you.” _

_ Strix shook his head, “My sons are too young for such a long journey. But when you pass by my tribe, I wouldn’t mind if you let them know I’m alright.” _

_ “Strix!” Viktor snapped, “Don’t agree with her! And Tyra, how could you leave us?” _

_ “I’m leaving too.” Buck spoke with a little more strength. _

_ Viktor clicked his tongue, “After everything Karne has done for you, Buck? Do not forget, if it weren’t for Karne, you would still be a slave to the Thousand Hands Guild. Karne paid for you, he bought your freedom.” _

_ “Exactly.” Buck replied, “Karne didn’t buy me to enslave me too, he bought me to set me free. He told me I had the freedom to choose not to fight in his army, and I still have that freedom.” _

_ “If I remember correctly, you chose to stay in the army because you knew nothing else.” Viktor responded, “Where do you expect to go?” _

_ “There’s a monastery for people like me.” he answered, “Tau Kor, they help people with problems in the mind like I have. I think they can help me… they can get rid of all of the damage that Lord Zhin did to me. I honour my time here and I will never be able to thank Karne enough but… I’m sorry, my time here is done. And it looks like Tyra’s time is done too, Viktor. Let me go, and let her go.” _

_ The huntress moved to place a hand on Buck’s shoulder. Buck couldn’t quite read the expression on Viktor’s eyes, but he was sure Viktor was coming to terms with this being their final goodbye. _

  


“Pardon, were you here to find me, or were you here to focus on your own thoughts?”

The voice of Jenos snapped Buck back into reality. The massive ex-soldier had made his way to the calm little place in the center of the labyrinth, where he now faced the Ascended, who sat beside a small pool of water.

“If you were here to focus, I can make my way out.” Jenos chuckled, “I apologise, I don’t want to interrupt you.”

“Oh, no, no!” Buck spoke quickly, “I was here to find you, actually… Um, we need to talk about your… I dunno, girlfriend? Is that what she is?”

Jenos patted the grass next to him, motioning for Buck to sit. As Buck moved to sit beside him, Jenos responded, “Do not mention that word to her, she is sensitive on the topic. But yes, I know you and all of the monks of Tau Kor have an issue with her.”

“Is she on our side?” Buck asked.

Jenos sighed, “No, not quite. The Abyss, the Cosmos… they do not contain binaries of good and evil like the Mortal Realm does. Seris cares nothing for the monks of Tau Kor. She cares nothing for saving the Mortal Realm… but that does not make her evil.”

“But you’re from the Cosmos and you’re good.” Buck argued. 

Jenos shook his head, “Am I good? Worry not, Buck, someday you will no longer be of this Realm and you will understand. The Cosmos is the element of Order, not good, and the Abyss is the element of Chaos, not bad. If there is too much Chaos in the Realm, the Realm will fall. If there is too much Order in the Realm, the Realm will never grow. I’ve come here to keep that balance, and so has Seris. She and I… disagree on how that is accomplished, and Seris is a bit more emotional than I. Her actions are based more on feelings than experiences, fitting giving her nature.”

Jenos glanced over the pool. He gently touched the palm of his hand to the water, “I have watched the Realm for centuries, thinking, learning, observing. My plan for bringing about equality is based on what I have witnessed. Seris, on the other hand, is a terrified infant whose first instinct is self preservation. She thinks in the moment and responds as such.”

“And you trust a scared baby with godlike power to not accidentally kill us all?” Buck stammered.

Jenos paused and stared at the Unyielding, before suddenly letting out a laugh, “Buck, relax. I intend to study Seris, and yes perhaps she will get past me and start something rotten, but in our time in the Immortal Realm we were friends, and as long as she trusts me I trust that she has obtained enough empathy to not destroy the things that I hold dear. She thinks of you all as my pets or something of the like, and she has no interest in harming you. I commend you for having done as good of a job as you have accepting her, and I hope the other monks of Tau Kor will as well.”

Buck glanced away, “The monks don’t trust her, and they sent me to ask you if they should. What should I say?”

“You may tell them this.” Jenos responded, “Seris is where she is meant to be. She does what she is meant to do. At this time, Seris is my friend and cares about me. Perhaps in the future this will no longer be what she is meant to be or do, but that matters not. If you follow me, I will keep you safe.”

  
  


\-----------------

  


The clouds were clearing from the cliffs, accentuating the great Ascension Peak where she stood, mighty against the morning sun.

When the sun set, the battle would begin, the Monastery would be sieged, and Jenos would be joining the Magistrate to stop the evil, traitorous Paladins and their quest to bring magical chaos through the Realm.

Khan sighed, taking in the view from the entrance of his tent. The soldiers were moving to and fro quickly, and the three armies’ commanders would be joining Lian to discuss their battle strategy. 

Khan moved from his tent and made his way to Lian’s tent, where the meeting would be held.

As he approached the tent, he noticed Ash’s and Zhin’s approaches behind him. He pulled the tent flap open for Ash, nodding in greeting to her, before slipping in after her and allowing the tent flap to close behind him. He could hear Zhin’s annoyed grunt as the Bandit King had to open the entrance for himself.

A map had been scrawled on a piece of loose canvas on the floor of the tent, and Lian sat beside the canvas, sitting in a lotus pose on a pillow on the ground. She held a small cup of tea in her fingers, and motioned for her guests to help themselves to a nearby resting tea kettle. Zhin took the offer and moved to pour himself a cup while Ash took a seat across from Lian.

“I’d like to make it clear that the monks need not be harmed during this encounter.” Lian began, “We have come for the Ascended, and they will give him to us. Once he is ours, we will leave the monks in peace.”

“You said I could take what I wanted from the Monastery.” Zhin snapped as he moved to sit beside Ash. The woman knight gave him a side glare.

Lian nodded, “I did, didn’t I? Very well, after the Ascended is ours, you may enter the Monastery and take whatever riches a group of monks in a mountain could possibly possess, but do not harm them.”

“Your Majesty, What makes you think they’ll just give him up?” Ash questioned as she gazed over the map.

Lian straightened her back, “I trust that the Ascended will know what is best. And, if he decides to decline our offer… We will siege. Primus Khan will attempt communications with the Ascended, but if I see a need, I will give the signal for an attack to begin… Keep in mind that destruction is _ not _ my intention, and I will almost certainly not give the signal. I trust that the sight of the Magistrate’s, The Ruby KIngdom’s, and The Thousand Hand’s power will lead the Ascended to make the right decision.”

“It’s a show, then?” Zhin questioned, raising a brow to Lian, “Silly of me to forget, Lian, that you don’t do much. You and Aico and all of that, all you care about is being _ impressive _. You do not even enjoy the smell of fire and ashes filling your lungs like a true warrior.” He nudged Ash to agree, but she did not look at either of them, seemingly too focused on the map.

Lian sighed in annoyance before continuing, “The Thousand Hands will remain in the back line, and you will send the _ bare minimum _ soldiers for your looting. I’m serious, Zhin, I don’t want you losing control of your bandits- quite a risk when one leads with arrogance and violence rather than patience and clarity.”

She glanced to Ash, “Sir Ash, your troops will stand behind the Ruby Knights. After Khan speaks to the Ascended, you may inform him of the Magistrate’s wishes and our plans with him, but keep in mind that after the events, Jenos will be a prisoner to the Ruby Kingdom.”

“Your Majesty, with all due respect,” Ash spoke, keeping her eyes down, “What’s the point of bringing the Magistrate along if you don’t plan on turning the Ascended over to us?”

“Proof.” Lian answered, “I want you to watch us take him and look him in the eyes. You too, Zhin. Sir Ash, I want you to look the Ascended in the eyes and know that he is ours. I want you to report back to Grand Magister Karne with everything you witness this evening. I want the Magistrate to understand just how valuable of an ally the Ruby Kingdom is to them. And Zhin… I want you to understand just how little you want to mess with _ my _ kingdom.”

She and Zhin stared into each other's piercing gaze in silence for a long moment.

Suddenly, Ash rose to her feet, before giving a low Eastern bow to Lian and speaking, “Your Majesty, if you’ll excuse me, I need to prepare my troops.”

Lian waved a hand to excuse Ash. Khan followed the knight from the tent, pausing at the entrance to stare down Zhin. The Bandit King caught his gaze and moved out of the tent quickly.

As Khan left the tent, he thought he spotted a figure standing behind Lian: a woman with her face covered and her skin as white as snow. At a second glance, the figure was gone.

Khan assumed he had been seeing things and decided to move out of the tent after the others.

  


“I like your princess.” Ash chuckled as she walked away from the tent. Khan nodded and hurried after her, catching up to her in only a few strides.

“She is a glorious leader, fit for nothing short of her position.” Khan sighed, “I am not worthy of standing beside her.”

Ash snorted, “You’re a loyal one, I like that. You know your place.”

“Do you?” Khan asked. The two were exiting the encampment, but Khan did not question why.

Ash sighed and glanced at the cliffs of Ascension Peak standing only a plains* away.

“Honestly, no.” She replied, “I’ll find it someday.”

“Where are you from?” Khan asked as he followed her gaze.

Ash shrugged, “I dunno. My earliest memory was Sir Mason, the knight who saved me. I remember seeing dark walls, I was trapped somewhere, then there he was. He picked me up and he put me on the back of his horse, and we traveled through a camp that had been scorched to the ground.” She gazed to the dirt, “Sometimes I have dreams of my parents, but I’m not sure if they’re real memories or not. I can never remember their faces.”

“I’m sorry.” Khan spoke softly, “I suppose you want to avenge them?”

Ash snorted, “I don’t know. Sometimes I wonder what happened, why someone took them away. But then I remember there are two sides to every story. Sometimes the people you think were evil, heartless… those people have to do what they did. What do I know? Maybe my parents were bad people and they were punished for their crimes. Or maybe they were taken away by a psychopath with nothing better to do with his time… hell, I don’t even know if it’s worth asking.”

The two had arrived at a small tent several paces away from the rest of the camp. Ash was already dressed in most of her armour, but she began selecting pieces she had not yet adorned. Khan aided her in fastening her leg plates and donning her boots.

Once Ash was dressed, she stood and equipped her flag, placing it in its holster on her back.

“Mind handing me my cannon?” She asked, motioning past Khan to the Flak Cannon that lay on the ground beside the entrance to her tent. He nodded and picked up the metal contraption, looking it over carefully. It was loaded with spiked balls and was adorned with ram horn symbols and scars from countless battles.

Khan noticed a small inscription at the bottom of the cannon in pinyin.

“Are you Eastern?” He asked her as he held up the cannon. Ash reached for it, but he raised it out of her reach.

She huffed, “I guess, I don’t know. Sir Mason took me to an orphanage in the Citadel, I don’t know where he found me.”

Khan took another look at the Pinyin. He wasn’t the best at reading the symbols, but these three he knew.

_ Hou Han Jin. _

He passed her the cannon, watching her carefully.

“You’re Hou Han Jin.” He was not asking.

Ash eyed him, before responding, “Fire and Ash. Sir Mason said it was the only thing I knew how to say. They asked me my name, that’s what I told them. So they named me Ash. What’s it to you?”

Khan was silent as Ash took her cannon and walked away.


	8. The Battle Begins

The sun would be setting soon over Ascension Peak. The mountain top was illuminated in golden and scarlet lights, and already the sun had dipped past the tops of the surrounding cliffs. The air was cool and stars began to light the dark spots of the sky high above.

Illuminating the battlefield was the shattered moon Io, in her beautiful and shimmering glory.

Khan and Ash stood side by side, surveying the troops and the field that would soon be a battlefield.

“So, she’ll give the order, right?” Ash asked.

Khan shook his head, “No, Lian doesn’t want to fight. At most, we will be preparing to fight against an angry god who isn’t so happy about ending up with us, but the monks will not need to fight us and we will not need to siege them.”

Ash nodded and moved a hand over her shoulder, seemingly checking to see if her flag was still there on her armour.

Khan glanced to her, surveying her windswept scarlet and ebony hair, her sharp jaw, and the deadly look in her dark eyes.

“It is an honour to meet you, Hou Han Jin, and to fight beside you.”

Ash chuckled, “I’m not an honour. I’m a crazy girl with a messed up past and a lost childhood.”

“What you went through at the hands of…” Khan paused as she glanced away.

“I’m not afraid of Zhin.” She muttered under her breath, “And it doesn’t matter who I was. All that matters is who I am: Sir Ash, ‘The War Machine’.”

Khan nodded, “As it is, Sir Ash. I look forward to experiencing this, and many more events at your side.”

  


\-------------------

  


Tau Kor was abuzz with commotion. Monks hurried to and fro to make sure that holy buildings and, more importantly, food supplies were locked up and safe. One mother ran through the hallways of the main temple of Tau Kor, screaming a name that Buck recognised. _ Ken _.

He put down the food basket he was carrying to the storeroom and rushed after her, eager to help in her search. Carefully, he scanned over the farm fields and thoughts raced through his mind of where a child might be playing at that moment.

He entered the temple of Jenos and the Furia, and spotted the Ascended resting at the statue of the winged one, a small child sitting on his lap. Jenos was speaking to the child in hushed tones, his hands waving in the air to accentuate his story.

“Ken,” Buck interrupted them, “Your mother is looking for you, go to the safe house with the rest of the families.”

The boy looked up at Buck, before glancing back at Jenos. The Ascended gave a gentle nod, and the boy rushed off to join his family.

“What are you doing here?” Buck questioned the Ascended, “There’s an army standing in front of the mountain, and you know they’re here to take you away! We’re preparing for war and you're here telling stories to kids.”

“The little one wanted to know about how Tau Kor was in my time.” Jenos chuckled. He slowly rose to his feet and brushed the dust and dirt from his clothing.

“Now is not the time for stories!” Buck snapped, “You’re in danger! You should get to the safehouse so we can protect you.”

Jenos frowned, “No, Buck, of course not. I will not have you guard me as if I was a child. In my Cosmosian eyes, you are all children, and I will protect you.”

Buck placed a hand on Jenos’ shoulder, “You are our light, our hope! We won’t flee, we won’t back down. We will protect you. If something were to happen to you-” He cut off as Jenos pulled from his reach.

“Buck! I am offended that you think I cannot handle myself.” He snapped, “This is my home, you are my people. I do not stand above you, but with my power, I stand before you in the face of danger. Keep the monks in the monastery and keep them down. I will protect my people.”

Buck opened his mouth to speak, but decided against it and lowered his head. Jenos moved past him and out of the building.

  


\------------------------------------

  


Metal armour clinked as the soldiers moved gently in their place, quickly growing restless. They had been preparing for a battle, and hopefully a battle would be soon, it seemed they thought.

Khan stood before his troops, waiting, watching. He glanced over his shoulder, spotting Sir Ash on the hill behind his men. Her men stood just as impatiently as his, her posture was just as stiff as his, and her goat mask reflected the light of the setting sun. The light shone against her visors, illuminating them like fire.

A noise interrupted Khan’s admiration of the warrior. He glanced back forward at the monastery, watching as something small moved toward his troops.

The being came into view: a man with silver-blue hair that flicked in the wind, his face covered by a sapphire mask, and behind him trailed a cloak that seemed to glow in starlight and Cosmosian power.

“You are the Ascended?” Khan spoke, his eyes narrowing as he watched the figure.

“Why have you brought soldiers to the home of monks.” Jenos asked, a slight humour in his voice, “Have you no shame? Have you no decency?”

“Cease.” snapped Khan, “You know why we are here, or you are a false god. The Magistrate requires your aid in the war surrounding the Realm, and you will join us.”

Jenos crossed his arms and shook his head slowly, “Oh, will I? I have no interest in your squabbling, return to your home and tell the Magistrate that they will not have me. I am but a Monk, and this Monastery preaches Journeys and Healing. Should your Magistrate wish to learn the more… mature ... ways of peace and prosperity, my Monks will be happy to take him. But you disinterest me with your pitiful war.”

“So a pacifist then? A shame.” Khan replied, “Perhaps my men, my princess, and my Magistrate will aid you in redirecting your might in a more useful way.”

The soldiers raised their spears, watching the Ascended closely. Jenos frowned and uncrossed his arms. He raised one hand, summoning starlight into his palm.

“You will regret this decision, Giant. You will retreat your soldiers, you will leave my monks in peace.”

“We will leave with your power in your body and your willing aid, or we will leave with your crumbled body in my arm and we will take your power from it by force.” Khan replied.

Jenos inhaled deeply before replying slowly, “Very well, Mortal. You bring war to my doorstep, I bring destruction to yours.”

He flicked his hand, and a surge of power blasted through the soldiers, sending heads over heels and leaving Khan the only man standing amidst the chaos. He glanced over his shoulder, spotting the Magistrate’s forces just out of reach of the Ascended’s blast. Ash’s mask turned toward him, and he wondered what expression she had under the dark silver goat face that obscured her own. He turned back to Jenos and gazed into the lenses of his mask, wondering the same about the immortal monk.

Before Jenos or Khan could speak, a light flew up from behind the Magistrate’s standing forces. The light rose into the sky, arced over the lot, and landed in the monastery, immediately obliterating one of Tau Kor’s taller buildings.

_ Firebombs? This was Lian’s signal?! _

Jenos and Khan watched more of these bombs fly into the sky and crush towers and walls of the Monastery. Suddenly, Jenos turned, flying back to Tau Kor.

_ So, the Ascended flees? _

“Onward men! Let the Siege of Ascension Peak begin!” Khan shouted above the screaming of the firebombs. As his men scrambled to their feet, the Magistrate’s army and the Thousand Hands bandits surged forward.

  


\----------------------------

  


“Valera!”

The elf looked up from the book that she had been reading while she rode her mount along with the Paladins. 

“Valera, look!” Cried Cassie, moving her mount closer to Valera’s as she pointed into the darkening sky. Valera followed the human woman’s gesture to see a plume of smoke rising above the treetops in the direction of the Monastery.

“Paladins! Onward!” she cried, kicking her horse into a canter. She and several of her more militant Paladins rushed ahead of the rest of the slow-travelling group, breaking through the trees. The moonlight illuminating the forest suddenly felt ominous. 

Cassie and Tyra flanked Valera on one side, Druah and Inara on the other, and many more she couldn’t turn to see rode behind her, their horses picking up speed. The smell of smoke and burning rode alongside the gentle forest scents, and Valera’s keen elven ears picked up the sounds of horses and carriages somewhere before them.

Finally, the militant section of the Paladins broke through the tree barrier and fell upon a horrifying scene: three different armies were ascending upon Tau Kor, firebombs were lighting up the sky, and smoke and flames poured from the Monastery’s buildings.

“We have to intercept them!” Tyra shouted.

“We don’t have time!” Replied Inara, “We have to get into the Monastery and get the monks to safety!”

Valera turned to her commanders: Inara, her second in command, Druah, Inara’s military commander, Tyra, the Paladins’ head tactician, and Cassie, the Paladins’ head combat trainer.

“We don’t have the manpower to even attempt to fight those teams at once.” Valera decided, “I think it will be best if we get to the Monastery. Stagalla and other strongmen will attempt to blockade the Monastery and keep more soldiers out, while the rest of the soldiers will fight off the invaders in the Monastery and will help the monks escape. What say you?”

“Sounds like a good plan!” Tyra replied, raising her rifle in excitement. Cassie nodded and spoke something quickly and quietly to the red hawk that flew beside her.

Inara nodded to Druah, who in turn began to rally the Stagalla soldiers.


	9. Battle Cries and Burning Skies

The wooden gate that separated the monks of Tau Kor from the rest of the Realm began to shake as the footsteps of thousands of soldiers began to pound toward the monastery. Some monks moved forward, wielding weapons and any makeshift objects they could lift against their attackers. Others rushed to gather children and move them toward the safehouse at the center of the monastery’s land.

A firebomb whizzed through the sky, taking off the top of a bell tower. Another crashed into the farmlands, setting the meditation maze ablaze.

Buck stepped forward with the other defenders, his shotgun in hand. He had not touched the dreaded thing in so long, and had hoped that he would never have to again. 

His heart should not be pounding in his chest as hard as it was. 

Buck was a trained fighter. He had spent years as a slave and a guard in the Thousand Hands Guild. He had spent years as a soldier in the Magistrate. He had fought in more battles than he could count, he had seen more soldiers and warriors than anyone else could have… yet at this moment, with the sight of the gate shaking and the sound of heavy monk breathing, Buck had never felt more alive.

For the first time in his life, Buck truly had something to fight for.

Something had flown high in the sky, faster than any of the firebombs that tore through stone buildings and farmland. The flying object was coming right for the army of monks.

Several monks fell back, trying to seek shelter. Others raised their weapons and prepared their stances.

The thing flew faster and faster, stopping short a few feet over the ground before them. His starlit cape and silver-blue hair froze Buck’s breath in his throat.

“Flee! Go!” Jenos cried, “Get your families and get out of the monastery!”

“We’ll fight for our home!” Shouted Hal from the crowd. The rest of the monks began to shout and murmur agreements.

“No! If you stay and fight, you will die!” Jenos cried. Suddenly, he stared off into space and muttered something under his breath. Buck raised a hand and was about to speak to Jenos, before the Ascended flew off, vanishing into the monastery.

“You heard him, we have to get out of here!” Buck cried back to the group. Some monks nodded and ran into the Monastery, while others stood their grounds.

“This is our home!” Hal snapped, “We stood up to the Goblin Scourges, we will stand up to these brutes!”

Something slammed into the outside of the gate, and the strong wood shook violently.

Buck stepped back as his fellow monks moved forward, weapons raised and ready to fight.

A sickening crack sounded through the courtyard, before the gate exploded open, sending shards of wood at the little monk army.

The “battering ram” that had taken out the gate stood before the lot. She was short, and adorned with silver armour over red cloth. She carried a massive cannon in one arm and wore a flag on her back. She lifted her hands to her face and removed the goat mask that hid her features. Her amber eyes scanned the lot and her breath was sharp. She threw the mask to the ground like a piece of refuse, selected the scarlet and blue flag from the back of her armour, and slammed the flag post into the ground.

A monk surged forward, his polearm raised, a battle cry on his lips. The woman knight released her arm from her cannon and, gripping it by its top handle, swung it like a massive tonfa. Before the monk could react, she smashed her weapon into the side of his face, sending him flying.

The monk slammed into the ground with a sickening thud, and a scarlet pool began from his mangled jaw.

Several more monks charged forward, and a troupe of soldiers poured in through the destroyed gate.

As the seas of armed men and women crashed toward the knight, she stood still and calm, her sad gaze meeting Buck’s. He could see the gaze of a broken mind in her eyes, the same gaze he had worn for countless years.

The seas poured together, blocking Buck’s view of the woman and striking him back into reality. He turned and ran into the monastery, Jenos’ safety now the only thing on his mind.

\-------------------------

  


Inara’s breath slowed as her senses became alert. She could hear the battle starting inside the monastery, she could hear the whir of the firebombs overhead, she could hear the crash as buildings fell.

What she could not hear, however, was the Mother’s power reaching her.

_ Come on, Stone Warden! _ She thought to herself, _ The Paladins need you! You need your power! _

“Ma’am?” It was Druah’s voice behind her. The Stagalla warrior placed a hand on Inara’s shoulder.

“I cannot hear the Mother.” Inara sighed, glancing at the stone golem and at the group of militant Paladins behind her.

“Ma’am, even if you cannot hear her, the Mother can hear you.” Druah responded, “Call to her and she will answer, she will always answer.”

Inara nodded and turned back to the monastery wall before her. Destruction was so… uncouth, the Mother hated destruction. But, this was an emergency and the Mother would understand. She reached out a hand and gently touched the smooth wall. She whispered her prayer to the Mother under her breath, and she could feel the power surging through her feet, up her legs, into her abdomen, filling her chest, and finally down her arms. As the power entered her fingertips, cracks began to form along the wall. The spiderweb of cracks began to grow and spread rapidly, until they reached from the top of the wall to the ground. Inara pushed her palm into the wall, and the wall shattered like brittle glass, the pieces safely falling down to the ground instead of blasting in either direction.

“Move forward, Paladins!” Valera cried, “Find the monks and help them out through here!”

The Paladins moved inside, quickly making their way through the monastery.

Inara spotted a large Stagalla warrior throw an injured monk over his shoulder as if the monk was a toddler, before the warrior rushed back out of the monastery.

Inara held her staff firmly as she moved, trying not to hear the sounds of fire and destruction tearing through what should have been a place of wisdom and peace.

She paused at the sight of a woman sitting beside a man who had been struck in the chest by a piece of fallen debris. The man lay sprawled out on the ground on a pool of his own blood, and it was apparent that he was not breathing, nor would he be waking up again.

Inara knelt beside the woman monk, placing a hand on her back. She couldn’t hear the woman’s weeping, but she could feel it through the woman’s body. Inara understood this heartbreak much more than she wished she did. 

The Stagalla warrior rose to her feet and tried to nudge the woman into accompanying her, but the woman would not move. The woman fell forward, her head on the man’s chest as she wailed.

“He does not want you to mourn or stay here awaiting your death.” Inara spoke as she knelt again and returned her hand to the woman’s back, “He wants you to live, he wants you to fight. It is time to come and run, you must live on. If not for yourself, then live on for him.”

The woman monk raised her gaze to Inara’s, before nodding, wiping her tears from her eyes, and rising to her feet. Inara ushered her toward the entrance way that she had created and motioned for the woman to go. After she was assured that the woman had escaped to safety, Inara turned back to the falling monastery and resumed her work.

She spotted the Paladin Sha Lin hard at work trying to move a broken door out of its doorway to free a monk woman and her children. Inara moved to help, and the massive stone golem made quick work of the little door.

“Sha Lin?” sounded a voice from behind them. Inara and Sha Lin turned to see a large bald man with a crystal symbol painted on his forehead.

“B-buck? Buck, right?” Sha Lin asked in apparent incredulity.

“The families are hiding in the safehouse.” Buck spoke, “It won’t be safe from the bombs for long, but if we can get there we can escort them out.”

“Buck? How did you get here?” Sha Lin replied, “Last I saw, Master Zhin had sold you to the Magistrate and-”

“That’s not important right now!” Buck snapped, “We can talk later!” With this, the massive man turned and ran deeper into the Magistrate, followed by Sha Lin. Filled with hope, Inara followed the duo.

\-----------------------------------

“Princess, you should stay on your mount!”

Lian ignored the knight and continued her trek to the monastery. Soldiers rushed around her, and her closest guards demanded she stay back. She had watched the events of the Siege’s beginning unfold in a horrifying slow motion, from the moment that Khan stood in the field talking to the Ascended, to the moment that everything went wrong.

She continued her trek toward the monastery, hardly caring about the soldiers running back and forth around her.

There was only one person in her sight, one man who stood before the broken gates of the Monastery and watching with glee as his men tore through the sacred buildings. He held his burning blade gently beside him.

“This was not what we planned.” Lian snapped as she approached the man from behind.

“Well, this is what I planned.” Zhin responded, satisfaction riding his tone.

“Do you realise what you’ve done?” Lian watched him closely. 

He glanced over his shoulder, his gaze meeting hers, “The princess brings an army to a monastery. The princess hires a bandit army to a monastery. The princess threatens a monk god. What have I done in this scenario?”

“I told you not to kill!” She snapped, “I told you I don’t want to hurt them!”

“Ah yes, I had forgotten.” Zhin chuckled, “I am supposed to respect your opinion, right? Was that it? Honestly, I had not remembered ever agreeing to something so foolish.”

“You. Firebombed. A. Monastery.” Lian spoke very slowly.

“No.” Answered Zhin, “This is your siege. It is your battle. You brought an army to a monastery, you hired a bandit army, you threatened a monk… who will ever believe that you did not also set the monastery ablaze?”

Lian crossed her arms, watching Zhin with a cold glare, “Why did you do this?”

Zhin approached her, standing so that his face was a foot away from hers, “Why did you bring me here, Lian? If it was the offer of my mother, you would have just given her to me. But no, you brought me along with you. Why? It’s because you wanted to show off, isn’t it? You wanted the Magistrate to see how you think you can rule over me, just because you think you own this whole damn continent. But it’s not just that, is it? You wanted _ me _ to know that you own me, you wanted _ me _ to know that you own this continent. You do not own my army, you do not own my people, and you do not own me.” 

He paused to sheathe his sword. Once his hand was free, he rested both of them on Lian’s waist and looked into her eyes with an amalgamation of warmth and danger in his gaze, a sight that only a person like Zhin could wield.

“Do you know, Lian?” He continued, a slight chuckle in his tone, “If circumstances were different, I think you and I would have gotten along just fine. Perhaps our marriage would not have been so… pestering.”

Soldiers ran past and around the duo, the sky was light with starlight in the purple sky and the haze of flames from the monastery. The air was filled with battle shouts and screams of terror, of clashing metal against metal and hundreds, thousands, of footsteps. The smell of smoke and burning rode the wind. Lian’s silver hair was littered with dust and grit, and Zhin’s long ebony hair matched. His face was calm as he gazed at her, even if his dark irises burned like fire and the hands he had placed on her waist felt as harsh and dangerous as embers.

“Well, princess?” Zhin spoke playfully, “We better hurry along. I heard a siege is happening, we wouldn’t want to miss it.”


	10. A Princess and a God

  
  


Lian’s golden boots reflected the light of the burning sky as she stepped on the debris-filled pathways of Tau Kor.

The monastery had once been a place of peace and learning, a place where broken men and women would gather and have gentle journeys of the mind.

As the sun set over Ascension Peak and the stars illuminated the night, the siege waged on. The peaceful monastery was filled with strife, the calm winds carried firebombs, the carefully carved stone pathways were lined with blood and bodies.

Lian could hear Zhin’s soft footsteps from behind her. She glanced over her shoulder and gazed at the man, watching his eyes slowly scan the scene. There was a look in his eyes of love, of obsession, of danger, of admiration. She had seen that look in only one place before.

_ His eyes were wide and shining and his mouth was slightly open as if he was in a trance. She glanced up to the performer, curious to see in what was he so interested. The performer was a fire dancer, twirling and dancing gracefully with a flaming sash in hand. She stepped swiftly and carefully in a mesmerizing show, her sash flicking and moving in the air delicately. Lian sat beside Zhin to watch the show with him. _

It was when Lian was just a little girl, when she had gone to her first Festival of Lights in the Citadel. She and Zhin had paused to watch a fire dancer perform, and he had become completely entranced by the performance. He had only woken from his trance after the show when the dancer had approached him and given him a gentle kiss on the cheek.

Lian paused from her train of thought when she noticed that focus had returned to Zhin’s gaze, as something behind her had taken his attention. In one movement, he unsheathed his sword and dashed forward, shoving Lian to the ground.

The Princess shrieked in alarm as she caught herself. She glanced up to see the Tyrant intercepting a pink-haired girl from her attempt on Lian’s life. The girl wielded twin daggers, which she threw one after the other at Zhin. He deflected both, before slamming the broad side of his sword into her abdomen before she could reload. She went flying, collapsing into a broken stone wall.

“Th-thank you!” Lian breathed as she pulled herself to her feet. 

Zhin glanced at her over his shoulder. He gave a huff, before muttering, “If anyone will be taking your stupid life, it’s going to be me.”

The two continued on their way through the battered monastery, occasionally pausing to take cover from falling debris.

“Where are we going?” Zhin called over the sounds of buildings collapsing around them.

“I don’t know or care where you are going.” Lian responded, “But I am going to find that monk. I am not leaving without him!”

Zhin nodded as he reoiled his sword and flicked its flames to full strength.

Lian spotted movement nearby, and she ducked to take shelter behind a large piece of rubble.

A woman stepped into view, seemingly looking for something. The woman’s long, scarlet, Greenwood hair was caked in dirt and muck, and her keen emerald eyes carefully scanned the broken monastery around her. Beside her flew a red hawk, its gaze just as alert.

The woman turned a moment, loading an ammo pack into her crossbow.

Lian took the woman’s distraction as a chance to rise from her hiding place and aim her rifle. As the woman turned back around, Lian pulled the trigger and the resulting blast hit the woman square in the chest, knocking her off of her feet.

“Nice shot!” Zhin chuckled, before he darted from that debris pile to the next one, Lian following close behind.

  
  


The two continued through the monastery, before Zhin paused in his step. Curious as to what had drawn his attention, Lian followed his gaze to the sight of a massive muscular monk lifting a bit of debris off of a woman monk.

“What, the Magistrate grew bored of you?” Zhin called, a chuckle in his tone. The man glanced up and caught Zhin’s gaze, but he did not respond.

“I don’t recall your name- did you have one?” Zhin continued, “Did I find you worth one?”

The man ignored Zhin’s taunts and continued to help the injured woman.

“If you ever find yourself annoyed by the dullness of a monk’s life, the Thousand Hands-” Zhin added, but the man cut him off, “Shut it!”

Zhin frowned, raising his sword, “Clearly Karne did not teach you any respect.”

The man glared at Zhin, before grabbing the woman and running off to shelter with her in his arms.

“A friend of yours?” Asked Lian.

“A guard dog. Damn fine one at that. Wasting his strength here.” Zhin responded.

As Lian prepared to move forward, she noticed that a shadow had fallen over her. She glanced up to stare at a massive stone woman standing on the nearest building. The Stagalla warrior watched the princess with a glare of death.

“You! You’ve done this.” The Stagalla snapped, “This was your siege, wasn’t it?”

Lian stood her ground and clutched her rifle to her abdomen, “No one else has to die. Give up the monk and we will leave this place.”

The stone woman stood tall and straight, before raising her powerful spear above her head, “You have caused this damage! You have angered the Mother, and you have put innocent lives in danger.” Golden Ultimate energy began to flow around the woman, illuminating her against the dark sky. She snarled as she leaned back, her spear in hand, “You will leave this place and never return. You are not welcome here!”

With the Ultimate energy surging through her body and her spear, she threw her spear at the duo.

Lian tried to slide out of the way, but as the spear hit the ground it unleashed a seismic blast that knocked Lian to her feet. Zhin had collapsed into shadow energy, avoiding damage from the blast. The Tyrant vanished from view, his shadow form whisking away through the ruins.

The Stagalla warrior raised her hand, and the stone debris around Lian began to rise. Lian scrambled to move away from the rocks and just barely managed to dodge a large rock that flew itself at her head.

“I am a peaceful one.” The Stagalla spoke, “But you and your army have left me no choice. You must be stopped.”

She waved her hand and more stones began to rise off of the ground, surrounding Lian. There would be no escape.

Lian buried her head in her hands, awaiting a painful death under the rubble that she had created.

“You’re mine!” Khan’s voice filled her with hope, and she glanced up and out of her arms. The stone warrior was wrenched off of the building by magic energy and flew into the grasp of Khan at the other side of the courtyard. The stone woman struggled in his gauntlet’s magical grasp, but she was unable to escape. 

Khan cast a glance to Lian, and although she could not see his face through his visor, she could see the glow of his eyes and how one of his eyes went dark for a second: he had winked at her.

He turned and raised his gauntlet and the stone woman into the sky, and in a blast of magical energy, the stone woman was sent flying at a high speed into the air.

  
  


Lian set off once more into the monastery. She gazed upon the buildings around her, noticing the burnt tapestries and ruined architecture. A deep shame ran through her chest and her heart felt heavy as she acknowledged the damage that she had caused.

_ No,  _ she assured herself,  _ this was Zhin’s doing. He did this. I didn’t want any of this carnage to happen, this is all on Zhin. _

Her inner monologue fought to convince herself, but there was consistently a nagging in her mind that none of this would have happened if it were not for her. She had done this. She had destroyed this monastery, killed innocents, and ruined lives.

She shook her head. It did not matter anymore who was at fault for what. She could be ashamed of herself later, she would absolutely help in the repair of the monastery after this event, but for now, she had a mission and as soon as she completed the mission, she could get out of this place and the destruction could stop.

Lian arrived at a large temple in the centre of the monastery. She slowly walked through the aged stone doorway, gazing over the carefully made carvings on the walls.

She walked down the cold hallways, only slightly noticing how much the noise of chaos outside was muffled by the intricately designed building.

A woman stood in the hallways, brushing her fingers over the statues. She seemed to take particular interest in a small statue of a male angel

The woman was scantily clad, and the hood of her garment was lowered, revealing the pale white skin of a hairless head. She turned to Lian, her sightless lavender eyes moving past the princess’ form.

“It is not very polite to bother a sacred temple. I have been asked not to.” The woman noted. 

Lian frowned, “I’m not here to bother the temple, I’m here for the monk.”

The strange woman chuckled, “Of course you are.”

“You should leave this place, the monastery is falling.” Lian warned the woman.

The woman grinned, bearing pearly white teeth, “Oh? The Siege of Ascension Peak already? My, my, time in this Realm is so… strange. I hadn’t thought the event would be until at least a decade.”

Lian held her rifle in a tighter grip, “Monk or nymph, I don’t really care. I’m going to keep walking.”

She walked past the woman, ignoring the woman’s slight grunt.

Lian arrived at the room in the centre of the building. In the middle of the small round room stood two statues, a short masked man and a tall sword-wielding angel.

Between these two statues knelt a man with his back to Lian. his star-strewn cloak rested around him on the ground and his long silver-blue hair flicked in a non-existent breeze.

“Jenos?” Lian spoke. The man glanced over his shoulder, his glowing blue eyes barely on her. He turned forward again and moved to cover his face with a mask.

“Stand and face me.” Lian ordered.

“I told her not to interrupt you!” Came the strange woman’s voice from behind Lian. She turned to see the woman now had her hood over her head and a blindfold covering her face.

“I told her!” The woman continued, “I told her that it is very rude to interrupt a meditating man, and that you wanted your peace and quiet.”

Jenos turned and rose, looking each woman up and down. After a few moments of gazing at the two, he spoke, “Thank you Seris. You are no longer meant to be here at this time, I think you know that.”

Seris nodded, “I suppose we shall meet again, after your little adventure.”

Jenos smiled, “Of course we shall. I will tell you all about it.”

Seris turned and faded away in a cloud of violet magic that Lian dared not question. Lian brought her focus back to the monk levitating in the centre of the room.

“You will be joining me to the Ruby Kingdom, and you will be fighting for the Magistrate.” She spoke in the strongest voice that she could muster.

Jenos smiled, “Yes I suppose I will and… no, I absolutely will not.”

“Enough with your games!” Lian snapped. She took a glance at her Ultimate Crystal, and was satisfied to see that it was fully charged.

Jenos frowned and summoned a star into his hand. He began to caress its light, causing it to glow brightly.

Lian mentally charged her Ultimate. The magic lifted her in the air and spun her slightly. She leaned back, lifting her rifle and aiming it at the monk.

He gazed up at her. She could not see the look in his eyes, but his lips held a smile.

The power began to rise through Lian as she watched the Monk. The thoughts of the siege, of the destruction and chaos that she had caused began to surge through her mind. No more of this, she had won. No more chaos, no more destruction. She would take Jenos and he would be at the Magistrate’s disposal. This whole stupid war would end, the Paladins would be brought to their knees, Karne would be honour-bound to protect her from Zhin and kill the wretched Bandit King, as payment for her bringing about the Magistrate’s victory in the Realm.

Lian’s smile matched Jenos’.

“Kneel!”


	11. The Finale

Buck could hardly breathe through the soot that clogged his nostrils. His legs ached, his arms were sore, his eyes burned, but he kept moving forward. He could hear the faint breathing of the girl in his arms. Her left arm was soaked in blood and she was hardly conscious, but her breathing confirmed that she was alive. Her coat was soaked in dirt and soot and her pink hair was stained in blood.

“Just a little farther.” He spoke to her softly. She shifted slightly in his grasp.

Buck could see the Paladins just up ahead. They had finally finished gathering every living survivor that they could find from the debris of the destroyed monastery. Healers were moving quickly back and forth over the bedrolls of injured monks and Paladins.

Buck placed the girl onto a bedroll. Her eyes opened slightly, revealing deep blue irises and slit, Tigron pupils.

An Ent healer moved to her and placed his large wooden hand on her body. Buck moved away to give the two space.

He walked through the lot, surprised to see such a diversity of Humans, Elves, Ska’Drin, Stagalla, and other races. The Paladins had truly gathered a remarkable group of freedom fighters in the Realm, simple people who wanted a better life for themselves and their families.

He spotted a familiar man sitting on a log nearby, speaking to a Flame. The man had dark hair and emerald eyes that were accentuated by his crimson scarf.

“Sha Lin?” he asked, approaching the man. 

The man looked up at him and smiled, “Hi! I… don’t recall your name, but we’ve met!”

“Buck ‘The Unyielding’.” The monk responded, placing a hand to his chest.

“‘The Desert Wind’.” Sha Lin added, before motioning to the Flame, “This is Cassie, ‘The Hunter’s Daughter’.”

Buck moved to sit on the log beside the duo, before staring out over the Paladins lot, “So, this is what you’ve been up to? Did he sell you, or-”

“Betrayal.” Sha Lin responded, “There’s a bounty on my head, and I’m not ashamed of it. I’m a bit of a travelling hero, though. I’ve made a name for myself.”

“Hey, good for you!” Buck smiled, before his expression dropped, “I’m really happy you- all of you- came out here just in time. The Paladins have saved so many lives, and I just cannot thank you all enough.”

Sha Lin followed Buck’s gaze for a moment before sighing, “But what about the Ascended? The Ruby Kingdom came all this way to take him, and we couldn’t even stop them! What are we going to do without him? What are they going to do with him?”

Cassie stood, gave a quick bow to the duo, and left, seemingly to offer them privacy to discuss the matter.

Buck shook his head, “He’s a god, I can’t imagine they can hurt him. I-I think he’ll be okay it’s just… With him gone, the monks might lose hope. We’ve literally been waiting for centuries for his return, and a few months after he descends he is kidnapped from us!”

Sha Lin placed a hand on Buck’s shoulder and spoke gently, “I think it will be okay. We’ll get him back, or he will escape and we will find him again.”

Buck smiled and stood up. He began to move away from his old companion, calling over his shoulder, “Thank you, Sha. Now if you’ll excuse me, I’ve got some thinking to do.

  
  


The massive monk warrior moved through the group of Paladins once more. It seemed a group of monks were turning the food remnants they had managed to save into a stew to feed the group, and Buck considered aiding them. Not yet, though; for the time being, Buck had a very important task that he must carry out.

Buck walked away from the Paladins camp and through the dark forest. He came to a cliff overlooking a massive field that had been trampled by hundreds of soldiers from the south. The ruined monastery stood on the mountains at the other side of the field.

The sun was beginning to rise over the field, illuminating broken stone and ashes in the golden morning light.

Buck lowered to the ground and folded his legs into a lotus position. He closed his eyes and took a deep, soft breath of the soot-filled air.

He could feel the pain of his fellow monks, he could hear the cries from the horrible night before, he could smell the ashes and burning bodies. He could sense the reach of the Cosmos high above, and he felt the words filling his mind _ Jenos, please hear me! Please help us! _.

A new scent filled his nostrils, he expected it to be the sweet honey of Jenos’ breath, but instead he smelled the scent of a strong wine.

He opened his eyes and found himself staring into a pair of unseeing lavender irises.

“Hey Seris.” Buck muttered.

Seris leaned back, copying his position. Her hood was down and the warm morning sunlight shone on her pale skin.

“On what do you think, Mortal?” Seris asked, cocking her head slightly.

“Where’s Jenos? I know you know.” Buck responded.

Seris giggled slightly, “You’ve tricked me, haven’t you? You wanted to meditate to Jenos, and you knew I’d interrupt you to be silly. Why have you tricked me?”

“Because I know Jenos,” Buck replied, “We’ve been waiting for him for centuries, and it took him so long to answer us. You get bored really easily, you’re quicker to find.”

Seris smiled, showing her teeth only slightly, “Oh, you flatter me, Buck.”

“Now then, where is Jenos?” Buck asked, shifting slightly in his position.

Seris’ smile sank to a gentle frown, “I must say, he looks rather attractive in his current position, but I do not much like how they have him. He calls me an… intimate little creature- those were his words I believe. I cannot even hold his hand now.”

“Well, while you take me to him, you can hold my hand if you want.” Buck offered kindly.

Seris’ face contorted into a look of disgust.

Buck rose to his feet, followed by the blind oracle.

“You know you will not be able to rescue him.” She muttered.

Buck nodded, “Yeah, obviously, but I know you have a way of letting me see him. I just want to make sure he’s okay.”

Seris nodded, “Very well. Come with me.”

She stepped away, seeming to be vanishing into nothingness. Buck quickly grabbed her wrist and allowed her to pull him into the strange land in which she travelled. Just as he was pulled into the darkness, he noticed his resting, meditating body left behind on the cliffside.

  
  


The two arrived in a strange land with a dark purple sky. Creatures moved through the silver clouds, vanishing and appearing elsewhere. The duo was standing on a massive, cold bluish stone platform that stood alone on a lavender sea of strange details. The platform was lined with black bushes and small stone statues and forms.

Buck glanced to Seris, surprised to see her look of horror and anger.

“Do. Not. Touch. Me.” The creature spoke in a hiss.

Buck released her wrist, muttering a quick apology. Seris held her hand close to her body, rubbing her wrist gently.

“Stay close to me, Mortal. A soul without a body could soon find itself nothing but an Abyssal Echo in these lands.” She spoke, not facing Buck. She walked away, and the monk rushed to follow.

The two walked for a few minutes along the platform. Buck was acutely aware of creatures swimming in the strange sea. Occasional body parts -horns, eyes, limbs- would move above the surface, before lowering once more. 

The pair came to a crack that floated in space, and Seris casually strolled through as if it was a simple doorway. Buck swallowed hard and followed the mysterious creature.

The two had arrived in a small encampment. A few soldiers moved back and forth sluggishly, but most of the people present were dressing wounds or sleeping off the previous day’s siege. None of the soldiers paid the oracle or the monk’s spirit mind, and Buck assumed that the two were invisible to the Mortal eye.

The two moved through the camp of Magistrate, Thousand Hands, and Ruby Knights, before they finally came to the base of a mighty cross. Bound to the cross was a limply hanging man of short stature who wore a head of silver-blue hair, and whose face was obscured by a mask.

“Jenos?” Buck gasped.

Jenos raised his head weakly, his lenses matching Buck’s gaze.

“Now, now.” The god chuckled, “You are not meant to be here. Either of you. And Seris, do be careful with Buck’s soul. He is a dear friend of mine, I would not want anything happening to him.”

“Of course.” Seris replied, “He simply wanted to see you.”

“J-Jenos, we’ll get you out of here!” Buck insisted, “We’ll find this camp, we will free you!”

Seris chuckled softly, “I would not do that if I were you.”

“You must leave me.”Jenos replied, “Take the monks of Tau Kor to somewhere that they will be safe, and be sure that they are ready for my return.”

“I’m not going to lose you again!” Buck said quickly, moving a hand to Jenos’ foot. His spirit-hand moved through the mortal body.

“I assure you, it is in the best interest of the Realm.” Jenos spoke gently, “I am meant to be here, in this place, now, in this time. The Realm needs me to be right here, and when it does not, I will not be.”

“And how do you plan to ‘not be’?” Came a deep, strong voice from behind Buck. He turned to see a massive man, easily ten feet tall. The man wore a simple scarlet tunic. The russet skin of his face was lit by several silver crystals that lay implanted around one eye, and his irises glowed magically.

Buck braced himself for the Giant’s attack, but the Giant seemed not to notice him. Again, Buck remembered that he was simply a spirit, invisible to the mortal eye.

“Worry yourself not with this.” Jenos chuckled, “Your pathetic mortal bindings cannot hold me, and they soon will not.”

“I’d like to see you try to escape.” The man growled, “I’ll catch you and put you right back on that cross.”

Jenos nodded in disinterest, “When the time comes for me to leave, I shall. Besides, I will have places to be, friends to call. I will no longer have any reason to be held hostage by your pitiful army.”

The world began to spin around Buck. He reached a hand to Seris, but she pulled away sharply, giving a slight hiss of annoyance.

“I don’t want to wake up, I want to stay with Jenos!” Buck cried out, but Seris ignored him. He could hear Jenos’ voice, calming, comforting, but he could see nothing more as the shapes around him became dancing, spinning lights.

Buck’s eyes snapped open.

He was on the cliff, there was no Jenos, no Seris, no massive Giant man.

He rose to his feet, surveying the field before him.

Jenos had been taken by the Magistrate, the monks of Tau Kor had lost their home, a darkness loomed on the horizon.

Yet through all of it, Buck had hope.


End file.
